31788 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 126 / Thursday, July 2, 2009 / Notices 

12 17 CFR 200.30–3(a)(12). 

For the Commission, by the Division of 

Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated 

authority.12

Florence E. Harmon, 

Deputy Secretary. 

[FR Doc. E9–15613 Filed 7–1–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8010–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF STATE 

[Public Notice 6690] 

Designation and Determination Under 

the Foreign Missions Act 

Pursuant to the authority vested in the 

Secretary of State by the laws of the 

United States, including the Foreign 

Missions Act, 22 U.S.C. 4301 et seq., 

and delegated by the Secretary to me as 

one of the President’s principal officers 

for foreign affairs by Delegation of 

Authority No. 245–1 of February 13, 

2009, and at the direction of the 

Secretary of State, and after due 

consideration of the benefits, privileges, 

and immunities provided to missions of 

the United States abroad, as well as 

matters related to the protection of the 

interests of the United States, and at the 

request of foreign missions, I hereby 

designate exemption from real property 

taxes on property owned by foreign 

governments and used to house staff of 

permanent missions to the United 

Nations or the Organization of American 

States or of consular posts as a benefit 

for purposes of the Foreign Missions 

Act. I further determine that such 

exemption shall be provided to such 

foreign missions on such terms and 

conditions as may be approved by the 

Office of Foreign Missions and that any 

state or local laws to the contrary are 

hereby preempted. Prior inconsistent 

guidance is hereby rescinded. This 

action is in accord with the tax 

treatment of foreign government-owned 

property in the United States used as 

residences for staff of bilateral 

diplomatic missions, see Department of 

State, Notice: Property Owned by 

Diplomatic Missions and Used to House 

the Staff of Those Missions is Exempt 

from General Property Taxes, 51 FR 

27303 (July 30, 1986), and conforms to 

the general practice abroad of exempting 

government-owned property used for 

bilateral or multilateral diplomatic and 

consular mission housing. 

This action is necessary to facilitate 

relations between the United States and 

foreign states, to protect the interests of 

the United States, to allow for a more 

cost effective approach to obtaining 

benefits for U.S. missions abroad, and to 

assist in resolving a dispute affecting 

U.S. interests and involving foreign 

governments which assert that 

international law requires the 

exemption from taxation of such 

diplomatic and consular properties. The 

dispute has become a major irritant in 

the United States’ bilateral relations and 

threatens to cost the United States 

hundreds of millions of dollars in 

reciprocal taxation. As the largest 

foreign-government property owner 

overseas, the United States benefits 

financially much more than other 

countries from an international practice 

exempting staff residences from real 

property taxes, and it stands to lose the 

most if the practice is undermined. 

Responsive measures taken against the 

United States because of the dispute 

also have impeded significantly the 

State Department’s ability to implement 

urgent and congressionally mandated 

security improvements to our Nation’s 

diplomatic and consular facilities 

abroad, imposing unacceptable risks to 

the personnel working in those 

facilities. This action will allow the 

United States to press forward with 

improvements that will protect those 

who represent the Nation’s interests 

abroad. 

The exemption from real property 

taxes provided by this designation and 

determination shall apply to taxes that 

have been or will be assessed against 

any foreign government with respect to 

property subject to this determination, 

and shall operate to nullify any existing 

tax liens with respect to such property, 

but shall not operate to require refund 

of any taxes previously paid by any 

foreign government regarding such 

property. These actions are not 

exclusive and are independent of 

alternative legal grounds that support 

the tax exemption afforded herein. 

June 23, 2009. 

Jacob J. Lew, 

Deputy Secretary of State for Management 

and Resources, Department of State. 

[FR Doc. E9–15818 Filed 7–1–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–43–P 

DEPARTMENT OF STATE 

[Public Notice 6689] 

In the Matter of the Designation of 

Kata’ib Hizballah (and Other Aliases) 

as a Foreign Terrorist Organization 

Pursuant to Section 219 of the 

Immigration and Nationality Act, as 

Amended 

Based upon a review of the 

Administrative Record assembled in 

this matter, and in consultation with the 

Attorney General and the Secretary of 

the Treasury, I conclude that there is a 

sufficient factual basis to find that the 

relevant circumstances described in 

section 219 of the Immigration and 

Nationality Act, as amended (hereinafter 

‘‘INA’’) (8 U.S.C. 1189), exist with 

respect to Kata’ib Hizballah (and other 

aliases). 

Therefore, I hereby designate that 

organization and its aliases as a foreign 

terrorist organization pursuant to 

section 219 of the INA. 

This determination shall be published 

in the Federal Register. 

Dated: June 24 2009. 

James Steinberg, 

Deputy Secretary of State, Department of 

State. 

[FR Doc. E9–15661 Filed 7–1–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–10–P 

DEPARTMENT OF STATE 

[Public Notice 6688] 

In the Matter of the Designation of 

Kata’ib Hizballah (and Other Aliases) 

as a Specially Designated Global 

Terrorist Pursuant to Section 1(b) of 

Executive Order 13224, as Amended 

Acting under the authority of and in 

accordance with section 1(b) of 

Executive Order 13224 of September 23, 

2001, as amended by Executive Order 

13268 of July 2, 2002, Executive Order 

13284 of January 23, 2003, and 

Executive Order 13372 of February 16, 

2005, I hereby determine that the 

organization known as Kata’ib Hizballah 

(and other aliases) has committed, or 

poses a significant risk of committing, 

acts of terrorism that threaten the 

security of U.S. nationals or the national 

security, foreign policy, or economy of 

the United States. 

Consistent with the determination in 

section 10 of Executive Order 13224 that 

‘‘for those persons * * * determined to 

be subject to the order who might have 

a constitutional presence in the United 

States * * * prior notice to such 

persons of measures to be taken 

pursuant to this order would render 

these measures ineffectual,’’ I determine 

that no prior notice needs to be 

provided to any person subject to this 

determination who might have a 

constitutional presence in the United 

States, because to do so would render 

ineffectual the measures authorized in 

the Order. 

This notice shall be published in the 

Federal Register.