[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 248 (Tuesday, December 28, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72715-72716]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-33670]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


Request for Public Comment Regarding Negotiations Toward a Free 
Trade Area of the Americas

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR).

ACTION: Request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The interagency Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) seeks 
public comment as part of its efforts to develop proposals and 
positions concerning toward the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). 
The TPSC seeks public comment with respect to all aspects of the FTAA 
negotiations.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For procedural questions concerning 
public comments, contact Gloria Blue, Executive Secretary, Trade Policy 
Staff Committee, Office of the United States Trade Representative at 
(202) 395-3475. All other questions concerning the FTAA negotiations 
should be addressed to the agency's Office of Western Hemisphere 
Affairs at (202) 395-5190. Additionally, the official FTAA website 
(www.ftaa-alca.org) contains information regarding the FTAA process, 
including official documents.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Background

FTAA Chronology

    Miami Summit of the Americas. On December 11, 1994, President 
Clinton and the 33 other democratically-elected leaders in the Western 
Hemisphere met in Miami, Florida for the first Summit of the Americas. 
They agreed to conclude negotiations on a Free Trade Area of the 
Americas (FTAA) no later than the year 2005 and to achieve concrete 
progress toward that objective by the end of this century. The Miami 
Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action announced the agreements 
reached by the leaders at the first Summit of the Americas. With 
respect to the FTAA, the Plan of Action states in part:

    We will strive to maximize market openness through high levels 
of discipline as we build upon existing agreements in the 
Hemisphere. We will also strive for balanced and comprehensive 
agreements, including among others: tariffs and non-tariff barriers 
affecting trade in goods and services; agriculture; subsidies; 
investment; intellectual property rights; government procurement; 
technical barriers to trade; safeguards; rules of origin; 
antidumping and countervailing duties; sanitary and phystosanitary 
standards and procedures; dispute resolution; and competition 
policy.

    The Plan of Action also states:

    Free trade and increased economic integration are key factors 
for sustainable development. This will be furthered as we strive to 
make our trade liberalization and environmental policies mutually 
supportive, taking into account efforts undertaken by the GATT/WTO 
and other international organizations. As economic integration in 
the Hemisphere proceeds, we will further secure the observance and 
promotion of worker rights, as defined by appropriate international 
conventions. We will avoid disguised restrictions on trade, in 
accordance with the GATT/WTO and other international obligations.

    San Jose Ministerial. The 34 Western Hemisphere ministers 
responsible for trade met on March 19, 1998 in San Jose, Costa Rica. At 
the San Jose meeting, the trade ministers recommended that the Western 
Hemisphere leaders initiate the negotiations and provided them 
recommendations on the structure, objectives, principles, and venues of 
the negotiations. In this context, the trade ministers proposed the 
creation of nine negotiating groups and three non-negotiating 
committees and groups. They also established the Trade Negotiations 
Committee (TNC) to guide the work of the negotiating groups and decide 
on the overall architecture of the FTAA agreement and to address 
institutional issues.
    Trade ministers also reiterated that the FTAA negotiations will 
take into account the broad social and economic agenda contained in the 
Miami Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action with a view to 
``contributing to raising living standards, to improving the working 
conditions of all people in the Americas and to better protecting the 
environment.'' The San Jose Ministerial Declaration, as well as the 
Miami Declaration, can be accessed through the official FTAA website 
(www.ftaa-alca.org).
    Santiago Summit of the Americas. On April 18-19, 1998, President 
Clinton and his 33 counterparts initiated the Free Trade Area of the 
Americas negotiations at the Summit of the Americas meeting in 
Santiago, Chile. The leaders agreed to the general framework proposed 
by the 34 trade ministers, which included the establishment of nine 
negotiating groups to be guided by the principles and objectives agreed 
by the ministers in San Jose.
    The nine negotiating groups established by the FTAA countries are 
responsible for the following areas of the negotiations: (1) Market 
access; (2) investment; (3) services; (4) government procurement; (5) 
dispute settlement; (6) agriculture; (7) intellectual property rights; 
(8) subsidies, antidumping and countervailing duties; and (9) 
competition policy. In additional to the nine negotiating groups, three 
non-negotiating committees and groups were established. They are: (1) 
The Consultative Group on Smaller Economies; (2) the Committee of 
Government Representatives on the Participation of Civil Society; and 
(3) the Joint Government-Private Sector Committee of Experts on 
Electronic Commerce. The negotiating groups and non-negotiating 
committees and groups began meeting in September 1998.
    Toronto Ministerial Meeting. On November 3-4, 1999, the FTAA 
ministers met in Toronto to review the progress made by the negotiating 
groups during the first phase of the negotiations and to determine the 
next steps to be taken in the FTAA process. The ministers in Toronto 
expressed approval of the progress made by the negotiating groups and 
directed them to begin preparing draft texts of their respective 
chapters, to be completed by the next meeting of FTAA ministers in 
April 2001.
    Committee of Government Representatives on the Participation of 
Civil Society. At the 1998 meeting in San Jose, the trade ministers 
jointly recognized and welcomed the interests and concerns expressed by 
a broad spectrum of interested non-governmental parties in the 
hemisphere and encouraged these and other parties to provide their 
views on trade matters related to the FTAA negotiations. In order to 
facilitate this process, the ministers agreed to establish the 
aforementioned Committee of Government Representatives on the 
Participation of Civil Society. The TPSC published a Federal Register 
notice on July 29, 1998 (63 FR 40579) requesting comments on the 
operation of the Committee, which was mandated to receive, analyze, and 
report on the full range of comments received from civil society from 
throughout the

[[Page 72716]]

hemisphere. At its first meeting in October 1998, the Committee 
approved an open invitation soliciting views from the hemisphere's 
public. The open invitation was placed on the FTAA website and 
countries agreed to use national mechanisms to disseminate the 
invitation further. In the United States, the invitation was 
disseminated through a variety of means, including press releases, 
letters to advisory committees and public meetings.
    Prior to the Toronto Ministerial Meeting, the Committee prepared a 
report for the Ministers describing the submissions it received from 
the public. This report has been published on the official FTAA website 
(www.ftaa-alca.org). Executive summaries of the submissions have also 
been published on the Department of State website 
(www.state.gov/www/issues/economic/current__issues.html).

Joint Committee of Experts on Electronic Commerce

    At the 1998 meeting in San Jose, the trade ministers noted the 
rapid expansion of Internet usage and electronic commerce in the 
hemisphere. In order to increase and broaden the benefits to be derived 
from the electronic marketplace, they agreed to establish the 
aforementioned Joint Government-Private Sector Committee of Experts on 
Electronic Commerce to make recommendations in this area. The TPSC 
published a Federal Register notice on August 5, 1998 (63 FR 42090) 
requesting comments on the operation of the Joint Committee. Prior to 
the Toronto Ministerial meeting, the government and private sector 
experts from throughout the Western Hemisphere prepared a report with 
over 40 recommendations on how to increase and broaden the benefits of 
electronic commerce. The Joint Committee's report has been published on 
the official FTAA website (www.ftaa-alca.org).

2. Advice From the U.S. International Trade Commission Regarding 
Market Access

    On March 15, 1999, the U.S. Trade Representative, pursuant to 
Section 332(g) of the Tariff Act of 1930, requested that the U.S. 
International Trade Commission (``Commission'') provide advice to the 
President, with respect to each item listed in the HTSUS where tariffs 
will remain in effect after full implementation of the results of the 
Uruguay Round and subsequent WTO agreements (such as the Information 
Technology Agreement), as to the probable economic effect of 
modification of tariffs on industries producing like or directly 
competitive articles and on consumers, based on three scenarios, two of 
which pertain to the WTO, and the third of which pertains to the FTAA. 
Those scenarios are: (1) The effects resulting from changes in dutiable 
imports from all U.S. trading partners if all tariffs were reduced by 
at least 50 percent, with tariffs of 5 percent reduced to zero; (2) the 
effects resulting from changes in dutiable imports from all U.S. 
trading partners if tariffs were eliminated; and (3) the effects 
resulting from tariff elimination on dutiable imports from FTAA trading 
partners alone.

3. Public Comments

    In conformity with the regulations of the Trade Policy Staff 
Committee (15 CFR part 2003), the Chairman of the TPSC invites the 
written comments of interested parties on all aspects of the FTAA 
negotiations. This includes comments regarding the possible effects of 
elimination of tariffs on dutiable imports from FTAA countries 
(scenario 3).
    Prior to initiation of negotiating group activity, the TPSC 
requested public comments (63 FR 128, July 6, 1998) regarding U.S. 
positions and objectives with respect to each of the negotiating 
groups. On April 14, 1999, the TPSC announced that it would seek 
additional public comments in the future on issues related to the FTAA, 
including the economic effects of the removal of duties and nontariff 
barriers to trade among FTAA participating countries (64 FR 18469).
    The TPSC is now seeking public comments on any aspect of the FTAA 
negotiations, including the economic effects of the removal of duties 
and nontariff barriers to trade among FTAA participating countries.
    Those persons wishing to submit written comments, should submit 
twenty (20) typed copies, no later than noon, Monday, February 7, 2000, 
to Gloria Blue, Executive Secretary, Trade Policy Staff Committee, 
Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Room 122, 600 Seventeenth 
Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20508. Comments should state clearly the 
position taken and should describe with particularity the evidence 
supporting that position. Any business confidential material must be 
clearly marked as such on the cover page (or letter) and succeeding 
pages. Such submissions must be accompanied by a nonconfidential 
summary thereof.
    Nonconfidential submissions will be available for public inspection 
at the USTR Reading Room, Room 101, Office of the U.S. Trade 
Representative, 600 Seventeenth Street, N.W., Washington, DC. An 
appointment to review the file may be made by calling Brenda Webb at 
(202) 395-6186. The Reading Room is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 
12 noon and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Frederick L. Montgomery,
Chairman, Trade Policy Staff Committee.
[FR Doc. 99-33670 Filed 12-27-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3901-01-M