[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 192 (Wednesday, October 5, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-24659]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: October 5, 1994]


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DEPARMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

 

North American Free-Trade Agreement, Article 1904 Binational 
Panel Reviews; Request for Panel Review

AGENCY: NAFTA Secretariat, United States Section, International Trade 
Administration, Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of first request for panel review.

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SUMMARY: On September 26, 1994 Maquiladora Pieles Pitic, S.A. de CV and 
Pitic Leather filed a First Request for Panel Review with the U.S. 
Section of the NAFTA Secretariat pursuant to Article 1904 of the North 
American Free Trade Agreement. Panel review was requested of the final 
countervailing duty determination made by the International Trade 
Administration in the administrative review respecting Leather Wearing 
Apparel from Mexico. This determination was published in the Federal 
Register on August 25, 1994 (59 FR 43815). The NAFTA Secretariat has 
assigned Case Number USA-94-1904-02 to this request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
James R. Holbein, United States Secretary, NAFTA Secretariat, Suite 
2061, 14th and Constitution Avenue, Washington, DC 20230, (202) 482-
5438.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Chapter 19 of the North American Free-Trade 
Agreement (``Agreement'') establishes a mechanism to replace domestic 
judicial review of final determinations in antidumping and 
countervailing duty cases involving imports from a NAFTA country with 
review by independent binational panels When a Request for Panel Review 
is filed, a panel is established to act in place of national courts to 
review expeditiously the final determination to determine whether it 
conforms with the antidumping or countervailing duty law of the country 
that made the determination.
    Under Article 1904 of the Agreement, which came into force on 
January 1, 1994, the Government of the United States, the Government of 
Canada and the Government of Mexico established Rules of Procedure for 
Article 1904 Binational Panels Reviews (``Rules''). These Rules were 
published in the Federal Register on February 23, 1994 (59 FR 8686).
    A first Request for Panel Review was filed with the U.S. Section of 
the NAFTA Secretariat, pursuant to Article 1904 of the Agreement, on 
September 26, 1994, requesting panel review of the final countervailing 
duty administrative review described above.
    The Rules provide that:
    (a) a Party or interested person may challenge the final 
determination in whole or in part by filing a Complaint in accordance 
with Rule 39 within 30 days after the filing of the first Request for 
Panel Review (the deadline for filing a Complaint is October 26, 1994);
    (b) a Party, investigating authority or interested person that does 
not file a Complaint but that intends to appear in support of any 
reviewable portion of the final determination may participate in the 
panel review by filing a Notice of Appearance in accordance with Rule 
40 within 45 days after the filing of the first Request for Panel 
Review (the deadline for filing a Notice of Appearance is November 10, 
1994); and
    (c) the panel review shall be limited to the allegations of error 
of fact or law, including the jurisdiction of the investigating 
authority, that are set out in the Complaints filed in the panel review 
and the procedural and substantive defenses raised in the panel review.

    Dated: September 30, 1994.
James R. Holbein,
United States Secretary, NAFTA Secretariat.
[FR Doc. 94-24659 Filed 10-4-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-GT-M