[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 60 (Tuesday, March 28, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16450-16451]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-7516]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


Trade Policy Staff Committee; Public Comments for Mandated 
Multilateral Trade Negotiations on Agriculture and Services in the 
World Trade Organization (WTO) and Priorities for Future Market Access 
Negotiations on Non-Agricultural Goods

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Trade Policy Staff Comments (TPSC) is requesting written 
public comments on general U.S. negotiating objectives as well as 
country and item-specific export priorities for agriculture and 
services. The TPSC also seeks public comment on country-specific export 
priorities for tariffs and non-tariff measures for non-agricultural 
products. Comments received will be considered by the Executive Branch 
in formulating U.S. positions and objectives for U.S. participation in 
the mandated WTO negotiations on agriculture and services and further 
negotiations on market for non-agricultural products should consensus 
emerge among WTO Members to launch negotiations in this area.

DATES: Public comments are due by noon, May 12, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, 600 17th Street, 
N.W., Washington, D.C.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Neff, Office of Agricultural 
Affairs (202) 395-6127 for agriculture; Peter Collins, Office of 
Services, Investment and Intellectual Property (202) 395-7271 for 
services; Barbara Chattin, Office of WTO and Multilateral Affairs at 
(202) 395-5097 for non-agricultural market access; and Gloria Blue, 
Executive Secretary, Trade Policy Staff Committee, Office of the United 
States Trade Representatives, (202) 395-3475 for procedural questions 
concerning public comments.
    Information about the WTO can be obtained via the WTO website 
(www.wto.org). U.S. submissions on agriculture, services and non-
agricultural market access made to the WTO General Council as part of 
the preparatory process for the WTO Ministerial in December 1999 can be 
found on the USTR website (www.ustr.gov) under ``what's new.''

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The TPSC invites written comments from the 
public on issues to be addressed in the course of the mandated 
negotiations on agriculture and services that are underway in the WTO. 
The Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture stipulates in Article 20 
that a continuation of the reform process begin ``one year before the 
end of the implementation period,'' i.e., beginning of 2000. Similarly, 
the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) provides, in Article 
XIX, ``Members shall enter into successive rounds of negotiations, 
beginning not later than five years from the date of entry into force 
of the WTO Agreement * * *.'' Although not part of the WTO mandated 
negotiations, the Administration notes that it has received expressions 
of interest in further negotiations on non-agricultural market access, 
including tariffs and non-tariff measures for specific products and 
countries.
    For agriculture, topics for negotiating objectives include reforms 
in each of the areas of market access, domestic support, export 
competition, and other rules and disciplines affecting trade in 
agricultural products, including biotechnology. Comments are welcome 
with as much specificity as the respondent can provide an general or 
commodity-specific negotiating objectives; country and product specific 
export interests or barriers; and

[[Page 16451]]

experience with particular measures, such as tariff-rate quota 
administration, that might be addressed in the context of the new 
negotiations.
    For services, topics for negotiating objectives include removal or 
reduction of barriers to U.S. services exports under existing GATS 
disciplines; establishment of new GATS disciplines to ensure effective 
market access, e.g., proposed disciplines on domestic regulations on 
services, possibly addressing transparency and necessity; and 
clarification of sectoral definitions in the Agreement.
    Services sectors under consideration in the negotiations include: 
(1) Business services, including professional and related services 
(including legal, accounting, auditing and bookkeeping, taxation, 
medical, dental, veterinary, engineering, architectural, and urban 
planning services), computer and related services, research and 
development services, real estate services, rental and leasing 
services, and advertising and management services; (2) communication 
services (including telecommunications services, audiovisual services, 
postal services, and express delivery or ``courier'' services); (3) 
construction and related engineering services; (4) distribution 
services (including wholesale, retail, and franchising services); (5) 
educational and training services; (6) environmental services; (7) 
energy services; (8) financial services, including insurance and 
insurance-related services, banking and securities services; (9) 
health-related and social services; (10) tourism and travel-related 
services; (11) recreational, cultural and sporting services; and (12) 
transport services.
    Comments on broader negotiations on non-agricultural market access 
are welcome with as much specificity as the respondent can provide on 
general negotiating objectives and/or targets; country and product 
specific export interests or barriers; and experience with particular 
measures that might be improved in the context of the new negotiations.
    The U.S. International Trade Commission has provided to the TPSC 
the public comments received on agricultural and non-agricultural 
products as part of its investigation No. 332-405, Probable Economic 
Effects on Reduction or Elimination of U.S. Tariffs (November 1999 
(Confidential report)). Hence, these comments need not be resubmitted.
    Comments should state clearly the objective(s) and should contain 
detailed information supporting the objective(s). Submissions should 
clearly indicate the general topic (i.e., agriculture, services or non-
agricultural products). For agriculture and non-agricultural products, 
identification of country-specific export priorities on goods should, 
to the maximum extent possible, identify the item by Harmonized System 
nomenclature at the 6-digit level at a minimum and the country of 
interest. For services, the submissions should include, wherever 
appropriate, sector-specific export priorities by country.
    Persons submitting written comments should provide twenty (20) 
copies no later than noon May 12, 2000, to Gloria Blue, Executive 
Secretary, Trade Policy Staff Committee, Office of the United States 
Trade Representative, Room 122, 600 17th Street Northwest, Washington, 
DC 20508. In addition, a helpful supplement to the written statement 
would be to provide a disk of the submission containing as much of the 
technical details as possible, either in a spreadsheet format or in a 
word processing table format, with each tariff line/services sector in 
a separate cell. The disk should have a label identifying the software 
used and the submitter.
    Written comments submitted in connection with this request, except 
for information granted ``business confidential'' status pursuant to 15 
CFR 2003.6, will be available for public inspection in the USTR Reading 
Room, Room 101, Office of the United States Trade Representative, 600 
17th Street, NW., 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 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon, and from 1 p.m. to 4 
p.m. Monday through Friday.
    Business confidential information, including any information 
submitted on disks, will be subject to the requirements of 15 CFR 
2003.6. Any business confidential material must be clearly marked as 
such on the cover letter or page and each succeeding page, and must be 
accompanied by a non-confidential summary thereof. If the submission 
contains business confidential information, twenty copies of a public 
version that does not contain confidential information, must be 
submitted. A justification as to why the information contained in the 
submission should be treated confidentially must be included in the 
submission. In addition, any submissions containing business 
confidential information must be clearly marked ``Confidential'' at the 
top and bottom of the cover page (or letter) and each succeeding page 
of the submission. The version that does not contain confidential 
information should also be clearly marked, at the top and bottom of 
each page, ``public version'' or ``non-confidential.''

Carmen Suro-Bredie,
Chair, Trade Policy Staff Committee.
[FR Doc. 00-7516 Filed 3-27-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-01-M