[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 127 (Friday, July 2, 1999)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 36229-36235]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-17145]



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Part VIII





The President





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Proclamation 7206--To Modify Duty-Free Treatment Under the Generalized 
System of Preferences and for Other Purposes
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  Federal Register / Vol. 64, No. 127 / Friday, July 2, 1999 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

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                Proclamation 7206 of June 30, 1999

                
To Modify Duty-Free Treatment Under the 
                Generalized
                System of Preferences and for Other Purposes

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                    1. Pursuant to section 502 of the Trade Act of 
                1974, as amended (the ``1974 Act'') (19 U.S.C. 2462), 
                the President may designate countries as beneficiary 
                developing countries and least-developed beneficiary 
                developing countries for purposes of the Generalized 
                System of Preferences (GSP).
                    2. Pursuant to section 503(c)(2)(A) of the 1974 Act 
                (19 U.S.C. 2463(c)(2)(A)), beneficiary developing 
                countries, except those designated as least-developed 
                beneficiary developing countries, are subject to 
                competitive need limitations on the preferential 
                treatment afforded under the GSP to eligible articles.
                    3. Pursuant to section 503(c)(2)(C) of the 1974 Act 
                (19 U.S.C. 2463(c)(2)(C)), a country that is no longer 
                treated as a beneficiary developing country with 
                respect to an eligible article may be redesignated as a 
                beneficiary developing country with respect to such 
                article if imports of such article from such country 
                did not exceed the competitive need limitations in 
                section 503(c)(2)(A) of the 1974 Act (19 U.S.C. 
                2463(c)(2)(A)) during the preceding calendar year.
                    4. Pursuant to section 503(c)(2)(F) of the 1974 Act 
                (19 U.S.C. 2463(c)(2)(F)), the President may disregard 
                the competitive need limitation provided in section 
                503(c)(2)(A)(i)(II) of the 1974 Act (19 U.S.C. 
                2463(c)(2)(A)(i)(II)) with respect to any eligible 
                article from any beneficiary developing country if the 
                aggregate appraised value of the imports of such 
                article into the United States during the preceding 
                calendar year does not exceed the applicable amount set 
                forth in section 503(c)(2)(F)(ii) of the 1974 Act (19 
                U.S.C. 2463(c)(2)(F)(ii)).
                    5. Pursuant to section 503(d) of the 1974 Act (19 
                U.S.C. 2463(d)), the President may waive the 
                application of the competitive need limitations in 
                section 503(c)(2)(A) of the 1974 Act (19 U.S.C. 
                2463(c)(2)(A)) with respect to any eligible article of 
                any beneficiary developing country if certain 
                conditions are met.
                    6. Section 507(2) of the 1974 Act (19 U.S.C. 
                2467(2)) provides that in the case of an association of 
                countries which is a free trade area or customs union, 
                or which is contributing to comprehensive regional 
                economic integration among its members through 
                appropriate means, including, but not limited to, the 
                reduction of duties, the President may provide that all 
                members of such association other than members which 
                are barred from designation under section 502(b) of the 
                1974 Act (19 U.S.C. 2462(b)) shall be treated as one 
                country for purposes of title V of the 1974 Act.
                    7. Pursuant to section 502 of the 1974 Act, and 
                having taken account of the eligibility criteria set 
                forth therein, I have determined that Gabon and 
                Mongolia should be designated as beneficiary developing 
                countries for purposes of the GSP. Further, I have 
                determined that the names of two previously designated 
                beneficiary developing countries should be modified.

[[Page 36230]]

                    8. Pursuant to section 502 of the 1974 Act, and 
                having taken account of the eligibility criteria set 
                forth therein, I have determined that the suspension 
                pursuant to Proclamation 6575 of June 25, 1993, of 
                preferential treatment for Mauritania as a least-
                developed beneficiary developing country under the GSP 
                should be ended.
                    9. Pursuant to section 503(c)(2)(A) of the 1974 
                Act, I have determined that certain beneficiary 
                developing countries should not receive preferential 
                tariff treatment under the GSP with respect to certain 
                eligible articles imported in quantities that exceed 
                the applicable competitive need limitation.
                    10. Pursuant to section 503(c)(2)(C) of the 1974 
                Act, I have determined that certain countries should be 
                redesignated as beneficiary developing countries with 
                respect to certain eligible articles that previously 
                had been imported in quantities exceeding the 
                competitive need limitations of section 503(c)(2)(A) of 
                the 1974 Act.
                    11. Pursuant to section 503(c)(2)(F) of the 1974 
                Act, I have determined that the competitive need 
                limitation provided in section 503(c)(2)(A)(i)(II) 
                should be waived with respect to certain eligible 
                articles from certain beneficiary developing countries.
                    12. Pursuant to section 503(d) of the 1974 Act, I 
                have determined that the competitive need limitations 
                of section 503(c)(2)(A) of the 1974 Act should be 
                waived with respect to certain eligible articles from 
                certain beneficiary developing countries. I have 
                received the advice of the International Trade 
                Commission on whether any industries in the United 
                States are likely to be adversely affected by such 
                waivers, and I have determined, based on that advice 
                and on the considerations described in sections 501 and 
                502(c) of the 1974 Act, that such waivers are in the 
                national economic interest of the United States.
                    13. Pursuant to section 507(2) of the 1974 Act, I 
                have determined that Cambodia should be added to the 
                list of countries identified in general note 4(a) of 
                the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States 
                (HTS) as members of the Association of South East Asian 
                Nations (ASEAN) that shall be treated as one country 
                for purposes of title V of the 1974 Act.
                    14. Section 604 of the 1974 Act (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, including the removal, modification, 
                continuance, or imposition of any rate of duty or other 
                import restriction.

                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 1974 Act, do proclaim 
                that:

                    (1) In order to provide for the designation of 
                Gabon and Mongolia as beneficiary developing countries 
                under the GSP, and to modify the names of two 
                previously designated beneficiary developing countries, 
                general note 4(a) to the HTS is modified as provided in 
                sections A(1), A(2) and A(3) of Annex I to this 
                proclamation and general note 4(b) to the HTS is 
                modified as provided in section B of Annex I to this 
                proclamation.
                    (2) In order to provide for the addition of 
                Cambodia to the list of members of ASEAN that shall be 
                treated as one country for purposes of title V of the 
                1974 Act, general note 4(a) to the HTS is modified as 
                provided in section A(4) of Annex I to this 
                proclamation.
                    (3) In order to provide for the restoration of 
                preferential treatment for Mauritania as a least-
                developed beneficiary developing country under the GSP, 
                general note 4(a) to the HTS is modified as provided in 
                section C(1) of Annex I to this proclamation and 
                general note 4(b) to the HTS is modified as provided in 
                section C(2) of Annex I to this proclamation.

[[Page 36231]]

                    (4) In order to provide that certain countries that 
                have not been treated as beneficiary developing 
                countries with respect to one or more eligible articles 
                should be designated as beneficiary developing 
                countries with respect to such article or articles for 
                purposes of the GSP, and that certain countries should 
                not be treated as beneficiary developing countries with 
                respect to one or more eligible articles for purposes 
                of the GSP, general note 4(d) to the HTS is modified as 
                provided in section D of Annex I to this proclamation 
                and the Rates of Duty 1-Special subcolumn for the HTS 
                subheadings enumerated in section E of Annex I to this 
                proclamation is modified as provided in such section.
                    (5) A waiver of the application of section 
                503(c)(2)(A) of the 1974 Act shall apply to the 
                eligible articles in the HTS subheadings and to the 
                beneficiary developing countries set forth in Annex II 
                to this proclamation.
                    (6) 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.
                    (7)(a) The modifications to the HTS made by Annex I 
                to this proclamation shall be effective on the dates 
                specified in such annex.
                      (b) The action taken in Annex II to this 
                proclamation shall be effective on the date of 
                signature of this proclamation.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                thirtieth day of June, in the year of our Lord nineteen 
                hundred and ninety-nine, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and twenty-
                third.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

Billing code 3195-01-P


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[FR Doc. 99-17145
Filed 7-1-99; 11:31 am]

Billing code 3190-01-C
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