Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 38 / Monday, February 26, 2001 / Notices 11625

6 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(2).

7 17 CFR 200.30–3(a)(12).

equitable principles of trade, to foster

cooperation and coordination with

persons engaged in facilitating

transactions in securities, and to remove

impediments to and perfect the

mechanism of a free and open market

and a national market system.

The Commission believes that the

proposal, which requires the reporting

of all options transactions immediately,

and in any event, within 90 seconds of

execution, should help to prevent

fraudulent and manipulative acts and

practices, as well as to promote just and

equitable principles of trade. The

Commission believes that the proposed

rule change should enable the Exchange

to provide timely trade information to

investors more efficiently. The

enhanced transparency associated with

timely trade reporting should facilitate

price discovery for investors and assist

the Exchange’s surveillance of its

members’ trading in listed options.

IV. Conclusion

It is therefore ordered, pursuant to

Section 19(b)(2) of the Act,6 that the

proposed rule change (SR–PCX–00–27)

is approved.

For the Commission, by the Division of

Market Regulation, pursuant to delegated

authority.7

Margaret H. McFarland,

Deputy Secretary.

[FR Doc. 01–4595 Filed 2–23–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8010–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 3567]

Bureau of European Affairs; US

Bilateral Assistance to Bosnia and

Serbia

The Secretary of State issued on

March 15, 2000, a waiver of restrictions

under Section 566 of the Foreign

Operations, Export Financing and

Related Programs Appropriations Act,

2000, for bilateral assistance to the

Republika Srpska (RS) and Serbia

(excluding Kosovo), as follows:

(1) In the Republika Srpska: Support

for civilian police restructuring; USAID

and State public diplomacy programs

promoting democratization,

reconciliation, and free and

independent media; the Community

Reintegration and Stabilization Project

of USAID, as well as its Bosnia Business

Development, Economic Reform and

Democratic Reform Programs; OSCEsupervised elections and human rights

activities; and Trade and Development

Agency (TDA) activities designed to

assist U.S. businesses in Bosnia. The

municipalities of Foca, Pale, and

Prijedor are excluded from this waiver,

because competent authorities have

failed to take necessary and significant

steps to apprehend and transfer war

crimes indictees to the International

Criminal Tribunal for the Former

Yugoslavia. These municipalities will

not be eligible for new U.S. assistance.

(2) In Serbia: State public diplomacy

and USAID programs to support

democratic reform, including free and

independent media and labor; economic

reform and other advisory assistance to

the democratic FRY opposition;

developing programs with NGOs for the

delivery of humanitarian assistance

through new distribution mechanisms

that are independent of Belgrade regime

control; and technical assistance,

training grants, and exchanges designed

to benefit opposition-controlled

municipalities.

The Secretary noted that:

Our bilateral assistance promotes Dayton

and an integrated Bosnia. Recipients of U.S.

assistance must state in writing their support

for Dayton and then act accordingly. Our

assistance has promoted the growth of proDayton parties in the RS, development of

independent media, minority returns,

privatization and market-oriented reform,

increased minority representation in the RS

police force, and efforts to investigate

corruption and curb police abuse.

The promotion of independent media and

pro-democracy NGOs has a special

significance in the aftermath of the Kosovo

conflict. The Milosevic regime in Belgrade

has an interest in ensuring that no proWestern governments can survive in areas of

predominantly Serb population. RS

authorities have demonstrated their readiness

to ensure freedom of movement for members

of opposition political parties and the

independent media from Serbia. The

response from the Belgrade regime has been

to curb dissemination of democraticallyoriented media from the RS into Serbia and

to issue threats against representatives of the

RS government.

Section 566 requires publication of a

listing and justification of any assistance

that is obligated for any country, entity,

or canton to which assistance

restrictions apply, including a

description of the purpose of the

assistance project and its location, by

municipality.

The following data are for funds

obligated during April–July 2000.

Locality data are provided where

feasible. However, U.S. assistance in

Bosnia, including Republika Srpska has

largely shifted from physical

reconstruction projects to provision of

technical assistance and promotion of

political and economic reform. As

indicated below, assistance in Serbia is

geared toward increasing capabilities of

political opposition parties and the

independent media. U.S. bilateral aid

implementers apply strict screening

procedures to ensure that aid

beneficiaries, whether of business

credits or technical assistance, are firms

or organizations in which war crimes

indictees have no material influence or

interest.

USAID: Bosnia/Republika Srpska

The following list gives, in order, Date

of Obligation, Amount of Obligation,

Project Number, Project Title,

Description of Activity, Justification of

Assistance and Location.

8/1/00. $489,957. 180–0019. Democratic

Governance. TA and training for

managers and administrators of Brcko

District. Brcko District (Federation

and RS).

8/1/00. $1,425,000. 180–0019.

Democratic Governance. Fund team of

international experts to provide TA to

Brcko District (includes RS).

8/1/00. $1,704,087. 180–0014. Business

Development Program. TA for reform

of commercial, non-banking laws and

financial activities, as well as of

accounting and auditing standards.

Throughout BiH.

8/2/00. $403,262. 180–0022. Media

Training. TA and training to

independent electronic and print

media in Federation and RS.

8/7/00. $167,000. 180–0021. Political

and Social Process. TA and training to

local civic organizations to target

voter constituencies. Throughout BiH.

8/7/00. $170,000. 180–0021. Political

and Social Process. Polling to enable

political parties to utilize data to

develop election messages.

Throughout BiH.

8/24/00. $21,1290. 180–0249. Corporate

Governance. Provide TA to develop

an employers confederation to

address legal and regulatory needs of

private firms. Throughout BiH.

9/1/00. $4,778,166. 180–0056. Business

Development Program. TA for

Business Finance portion of the BDP.

Throughout BiH.

9/1/00. $3,150,000. 180–0056. Business

Development Program. Provide

Business Consulting services,

including training and TA, to

enterprises seeking loan funds.

Throughout BiH.

9/1/00. $59,712. 180–0249. Assessment

and Evaluation. Conduct survey to

assess impact of USAID-funded civic

participation and organizing

programs. Throughout BiH.

9/29/00. $2,000,000. 180–021. Political

and Social Process. Provide assistance

in voter education and civic

11626 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 38 / Monday, February 26, 2001 / Notices

organizing activities prior to and after

BiH general elections. Throughout

BiH.

9/28/00. $5,000,000. 180–0004.

Municipal Infrastructure and

Services. Fund contract extension

with Parsons Delaware Inc. to

implement the MIS program.

Throughout BiH.

9/28/00. $1,500,000. 180–0005.

Privatization & Enterprise

Restructuring. Develop

comprehensive accounting and

auditing regime for BiH.

USAID: Serbia

8/1/00. $1,500,000. 180–0021. Political

and Social Process. Political party

development. Economic program

development; for use in opposition

election campaigns and to guide

polices once the political opposition

is elected to office.

8/10/00. $999,775. 180–0019.

Democratic Governance. TA to

improve local government

capabilities.

8/16/00. $604,319. 180–0019.

Democratic Governance. TA to

improve delivery of constituent

services.

8/25/00. $529,792. 180–0032. NGO

Development. TA to improve civil

society advocacy capabilities.

9/18/00. $1,499,351. 180–0019.

Democratic Governance. Targeted

municipalities: humanitarian

assistance.

9/15/00. $127,684. 180–0021. Political

and Social Process. Trade Union getout-the-vote activities.

9/18/00. $327,984. 180–0032. NGO

Development. Improve capabilities of

women’s groups and other civil

society advocates.

9/29/00. $100,009. 180–0021. Political

and Social Process. Political party

development.

9/29/00. $135,635. 180–0021. Political

and Social Process. Election

monitoring.

9/29/00. $192,887. 180–0032. NGO

Development. Improve capabilities of

civil society advocates.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Office of the SEED Coordinator,

Department of State, 2101 C St NW.,

Washington, DC 20521, 202–647–0853.

Dated: January 10, 2001.

Larry C. Napper,

Coordinator for East European Assistance,

U.S. Department of State.

[FR Doc. 01–4668 Filed 2–23–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4710–23–P

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice No. 3544]

Proposed Protocol on Rail Equipment

to the Draft Convention Sponsored by

UNIDROIT on International Mobile

Equipment Finance; Meeting Notice

ACTION: International rail finance—the

International Finance Study Group of

the State Department’s Advisory

Committee on Private International Law

will meet to review a proposed protocol

on rail equipment to the draft

UNIDROIT convention on equipment

finance, and its effect on cross-border

financing and trade involving the

railway industry. The meeting will be

held in Washington, D.C. on Friday,

March 2, 2001.

AGENDA: The meeting will cover

developments relating to cross-border

financing of rail equipment; the purpose

of the proposed UNIDROIT Convention

on international interests in mobile

equipment; recent revisions to the

proposed rail equipment protocol to that

convention; and positions that may be

adopted for the forthcoming UNIDROIT

meeting on the rail protocol in March

2001.

Issues relevant to various

organizations will be considered,

including international transportation

policies of DOT, the Surface

Transportation Board (STB), and the

Association of American Railroads

(AAR).

Comments will be requested on draft

provisions of the proposed Railway

rolling stock protocol, including the

intersection with revisions to Uniform

Commercial Code Art.9 in the United

States, relevant provisions of Title 49 of

the U.S. Code, commercial finance laws

of Canada, Mexico and other countries,

and related international projects on

secured financing, including work

underway at UNCITRAL (the United

Nations Commission on International

Trade Law) on receivables financing and

the OAS (Organization of American

States) on a model Inter-American

national law on secured financing.

Background: The United States is a

member state of UNIDROIT,

headquartered in Rome, Italy, which

seeks to unify private law, often in the

economic and commercial law area. The

U.S. has been an active participant in

negotiations on a multilateral

convention (UNIDROIT Convention) to

provide for enforceability of

international secured finance interests

in mobile equipment, together with a

protocol on aircraft finance, with

provisions for rail equipment and space

and satellite equipment to be

subsequently considered. The basic

convention and aircraft protocol are

expected to be finalized in 2001.

A Rail Working Group (RWG)

authorized by UNIDROIT has

undertaken work on the current draft

protocol on provisions specific to rail

equipment financing, which will be

considered at an international meeting

in March 2001 sponsored by UNIDROIT

and the Intergovernmental Organization

for International Carriage by Rail (OTIF).

The proposed Convention and rail

equipment protocol is intended to

benefit rail industry exports and

increase the capacity of many countries

to finance such equipment through

private sector capital markets. Key

features of the draft Convention as it

would be amended by the rail protocol

are expected to include: rules on

secured financing priorities recognized

by the convention; assignments;

recognition of existing regional rail

registries and possible cross-links

between them, and provision for new

registry systems or for states to utilize

existing systems in other countries for

implementation of the convention.

Certain key provisions are likely to be

optional, such as enhanced and

expedited remedies upon default and

treatment of insolvency rights.

Attendance: The meeting will be held

on Friday, March 2, 2001, from 10:00

a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Association of

American Railroads (AAR), 50 ‘‘F’’

Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20001, in

the 4th floor conference center. The

meeting is open to the public, up to the

capacity of the meeting room and

subject to rulings of the chair. Persons

wishing to attend should contact Peter

Bloch, Department of Transportation,

Office of General Counsel, (202) 366–

9183, fax 366–9188, or Louis P. Warchot

at AAR at 202–639–2500, fax 639–2868,

not later than Thursday, March 1, 2001.

Documents: The Preliminary Draft

Protocol on railway rolling stock,

UNIDROIT Doc.4, Study LXXIIH,

December 2000 (also available as OTIF

Doc. JGR/2, December 2000) is available

prior to the meeting by express mail or

fax from the Office of Legal Adviser at

the above numbers. The position of the

AAR concerning the rail protocol can be

obtained from the AAR at the above

number. The draft UNIDROIT

convention as well as the draft aircraft

protocol are available at