[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 4 (Saturday, January 6, 2001)]
[House]
[Page H53]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL TO IMPLEMENT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES 
  AND THE HASHEMITE KINGDOM OF JORDAN ON ESTABLISHMENT OF FREE TRADE 
AREA--MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (H. DOC. NO. 107-
                                  15)

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. LaHood) laid before the House the 
following message from the President of the United States; which was 
read and, together with the accompanying papers, without objection, 
referred to the Committee on Ways and Means and the Committee on the 
Judiciary and ordered to be printed:

To the Congress of the United States:
  I am pleased to transmit a legislative proposal to implement the 
Agreement between the United States of America and the Hashemite 
Kingdom of Jordan on the Establishment of a Free Trade Area. Also 
transmitted is a section-by-section analysis.
  The U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement (FTA) provides critical support 
for a pivotal regional partner for U.S. efforts in the Middle East 
peace process. Jordan has taken extraordinary steps on behalf of peace 
and has served as a moderating and progressive force in the region. 
This Agreement not only sends a strong and concrete message to 
Jordanians and Jordan's neighbors about the economic benefits of peace, 
but significantly contributes to stability throughout the region. This 
Agreement is the capstone of our economic partnership with Jordan, 
which has also included U.S.-Jordanian cooperation on Jordan's 
accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), our joint Trade and 
Investment Framework Agreement, and our Bilateral Investment Treaty. 
This Agreement is a vote of confidence in Jordan's economic reform 
program, which should serve as a source of growth and opportunity for 
Jordanians in the coming years.
  The U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement achieves the highest possible 
commitments from Jordan on behalf of U.S. business on key trade issues, 
providing significant and extensive liberalization across a wide 
spectrum of trade issues. For example, it will eliminate all tariffs on 
industrial goods and agricultural products within 10 years. The FTA 
covers all agriculture without exception. The Agreement will also 
eliminate commercial barriers to bilateral trade in services 
originating in the United States and Jordan. Specific liberalization 
has been achieved in many key services sectors, including energy 
distribution, convention, printing and publishing, courier, 
audiovisual, education, environmental, financial, health, tourism, and 
transport services.
  In the area of intellectual property rights, the U.S.-Jordan Free 
Trade Agreement builds on the strong commitments Jordan made in 
acceding to the WTO. The provisions of the FTA incorporate the most up-
to-date international standards for copyright protection, as well as 
protection for confidential test data for pharmaceuticals and 
agricultural chemicals and stepped-up commitments on enforcement. Among 
other things, Jordan has undertaken to ratify and implement the World 
Intellectual Property Organization's (WIPO) Copyright Treaty and WIPO 
Performances and Phonograms Treaty within 2 years.
  The FTA also includes, for the first time ever in the text of a trade 
agreement, a set of substantive provisions on electronic commerce. Both 
countries agreed to seek to avoid imposing customs duties on electronic 
transmissions, imposing unnecessary barriers to market access for 
digitized products, and impeding the ability to deliver services 
through electronic means. These provisions also tie in with commitments 
in the services area that, taken together, aim at encouraging 
investment in new technologies and stimulating the innovative uses of 
networks to deliver products and services.
  The FTA joins free trade and open markets with civic 
responsibilities. In this Agreement, the United States and Jordan 
affirm the importance of not relaxing labor or environmental laws in 
order to increase trade. It is important to note that the FTA does not 
require either country to adopt any new laws in these areas, but rather 
includes commitments that each country enforce its own labor and 
environmental laws.
  The U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement will help advance the long-term 
U.S. objective of fostering greater Middle East regional economic 
integration in support of the establishment of a just, comprehensive, 
and lasting peace, while providing greater market access for U.S. 
goods, services, and investment. I urge the prompt and favorable 
consideration of this legislation.
                                                  William J. Clinton.  
The White House, January 6, 2001.

                          ____________________