[House Document 106-264]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



106th Congress, 2d Session - - - - - - - - - - - - - House Document 106-264


 
                A PROCLAMATION TO AMEND THE GENERALIZED
                         SYSTEM OF PREFERENCES

                               __________

                             COMMUNICATION

                                  from

                   THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

                              transmitting

THE NOTIFICATION OF SUSPENSION OF PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT FOR BELARUS AS 
   A BENEFICIARY DEVELOPING COUNTRY UNDER THE GENERALIZED SYSTEM OF 
         PREFERENCES (GSP), PURSUANT TO 40 U.S.C. APP. 1515a(b)

 


July 10, 2000.--Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means and ordered 
                             to be printed
                                           The White House,
                                          Washington, July 6, 2000.
Hon. J. Dennis Hastert,
Speaker of the House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Speaker: I hereby transmit a Proclamation in which 
I have determined that it is appropriate to suspend 
preferential treatment for Belarus as a beneficiary developing 
country under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) 
because Belarus has not taken and is not taking steps to afford 
workers in Belarus internationally recognized worker rights. 
The Proclamation also determines that Malta, French Polynesia, 
New Caledonia, and Slovenia meet the definition of a ``high 
income'' country as defined by the International Bank for 
Reconstruction and Development and that therefore they will be 
graduated from the GSP, effective January 1, 2002.
            Sincerely,
                                                William J. Clinton.
             To Amend the Generalized System of Preferences

                              ----------                              


            By the President of the United States of America

                             A Proclamation

    1. Section 502(c)(7) of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended 
(the ``Trade Act'') (19 U.S.C. 2462(c)(7)), provides that, in 
determining whether to designate any country a beneficiary 
developing country under this section, the President shall take 
into account whether that country has taken or is taking steps 
to afford internationally recognized worker rights to workers 
in that country. Section 502(d)(1) of the Trade Act (19 U.S.C. 
2462(d)(1)) provides that the President may withdraw, suspend, 
or limit the application of duty-free treatment under the 
Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) with respect to any 
designated beneficiary developing country based on 
consideration of the factors set forth in sections 501 and 
502(c) of the Trade Act (19 U.S.C. 2461 and 2462(c)). Section 
502(f)(2) of the Trade Act (19 U.S.C. 2462(f)(2)) requires the 
President to notify the Congress and the affected country, at 
least 60 days before termination, of the President's intention 
to terminate the affected country's designation as a 
beneficiary developing country for purposes of the GSP.
    2. Section 502(e) of the Trade Act (19 U.S.C. 2462(e)) 
provides that the President shall terminate the designation of 
a country as a beneficiary developing country if the President 
determines that such country has become a ``high income'' 
country as defined by the official statistics of the 
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. 
Termination is effective on January 1 of the second year 
following the year in which such determination is made.
    3. Pursuant to section 502(d) of the Trade Act, and having 
considered the factors set forth in sections 501 and 502(c), I 
have determined that it is appropriate to suspend Belarus's GSP 
benefits because it has not taken and is not taking steps to 
afford workers in that country internationally recognized 
worker rights. In order to reflect the suspension of benefits 
under the GSP for articles imported from Belarus, I have 
determined that it is appropriate to modify general note 4(a) 
of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS).
    4. Pursuant to section 502(e) of the Trade Act, I have 
determined that Malta, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, and 
Slovenia meet the definition of a ``high income'' country as 
defined by the official statistics of the International Bank 
for Reconstruction and Development. Accordingly, pursuant to 
section 502(e) of the Trade Act, I am terminating the 
preferential treatment under the GSP for articles that are 
currently eligible for such treatment and that are imported 
from Malta, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, and Slovenia, 
effective January 1, 2002.
    5. Section 604 of the Trade Act, as amended (19 U.S.C. 
2483), authorizes the President to embody in the HTS the 
substance of the relevant provisions of that Act, and of other 
Acts affecting import treatment, and actions thereunder.
    NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the 
United States of America, acting under the authority vested in 
me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of 
America, including but not limited to Title V and section 604 
of the Trade Act, do proclaim that:
    (1) In order to reflect the suspension of benefits under 
the GSP with respect to Belarus, general note 4(a) of the HTS 
is modified by deleting ``Belarus'' from the list of 
independent countries, effective with respect to articles 
entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or 
after 60 days after the date of publication of this 
proclamation in the Federal Register.
    (2) In order to terminate the designation of Malta, French 
Polynesia, New Caledonia, and Slovenia as beneficiary 
developing countries under the GSP, general note 4(a) of the 
HTS is modified by:
          (a) deleting ``Malta'' and ``Slovenia'' from the list 
        of independent countries, and
          (b) deleting ``French Polynesia'' and ``New 
        Caledonia'' from the list of nonindependent countries 
        and territories, effective with respect to articles 
        entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, 
        on or after January 1, 2002.
    (3) Any provisions of previous proclamations and Executive 
Orders that are inconsistent with the actions taken in this 
proclamation are superseded to the extent of such 
inconsistency.
    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this sixth 
day of July, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the 
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred 
and twenty-fifth.

                                        William J. Clinton.

                                
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