[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 101 (Wednesday, May 24, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33577-33578]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-13075]
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INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION
[Investigation No. 332-415]
U.S. Trade and Investment With Sub-Saharan Africa; Import
Investigations
AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission.
ACTION: Institution of investigation and notice of opportunity to
submit comments.
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EFFECTIVE DATE: May 15, 2000.
SUMMARY: Following receipt on March 12, 2000, of a letter from the
United States Trade Representative (USTR), the Commission instituted
investigation No. 332-415, U.S. Trade and Investment with Sub-Saharan
Africa.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Constance Hamilton, Office of
Economics (202-205-3263), or Mr. William Gearhart, Office of the
General Counsel (202-205-3091) for information on legal aspects of the
investigation. The media should contact Ms. Margaret O'Laughlin, Office
of External Relations (202-1819). Hearing impaired individuals are
advised that information on this matter can be obtained by contacting
the TDD terminal on 202-205-1810.
Background
Pursuant to authority under section 332(g) of the Tariff Act of
1930, the USTR requested that the Commission prepare a series of annual
reports for five years containing the following information:
1. For the last five years (and the latest quarter available), data
for U.S. merchandise trade and U.S. services trade with sub-Saharan
Africa, including statistics by country, by major sectors, and by the
top 25 commodities, as well as statistics on imports from sub-Saharan
Africa under the GSP program by country and major product categories/
commodities.
2. Country-by-country profiles of the economies of each sub-Saharan
African country, including information on major trading partners, by
country.
3. A summary of the trade, services, and investment climates in
each of the countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including a description of
the basic tariff structure (e.g., the average tariff rate and the
average agricultural tariff rate). The summaries should also include
information on significant impediments to trade, including any import
bans.
4. Updates on regional integration in sub-Saharan Africa and
statistics on U.S. trade with major regional groupings (COMESA, EAC,
ECOWAS, IGAD, SACU, SADC, and WAEMU). Where applicable, information
should be provided on the regional group's tariff structure.
5. A description of the U.S. tariff structure for imports from
Africa.
6. A summary of U.S. and total foreign direct investment and
portfolio investment in sub-Saharan Africa.
7. Information on sub-Saharan African privatization efforts based
on publicly available information.
8. A summary of multilateral and U.S. bilateral assistance to the
countries of sub-Saharan Africa.
The USTR requested that the Commission provide its first report by
December 2000, and annually for a period of 4 years thereafter. The 48
countries of sub-Saharan Africa covered in this investigation include:
Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde,
Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia,
Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho,
Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique,
Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Sao Tome and
Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa,
Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Written Submissions
The Commission does not plan to hold a public hearing in connection
with this investigation. However, interested persons are invited to
submit written statements concerning matters to be addressed in the
report. Commercial or financial information that a person desires the
Commission to treat as confidential must be submitted on separate
sheets of paper, each clearly marked ``Confidential Business
Information'' at the top. The
[[Page 33578]]
Commission's Rules do not authorize filing of submissions with the
Secretary by facsimile or electronic means. All written submissions
must conform with the provisions of section 201.8 of the Commission's
Rules of Practice and Procedure (19 CFR 201.8). All submissions
requesting confidential treatment must conform with the requirements of
section 201.6 of the Commission's Rules (19 CFR 201.6). All written
statements, except for confidential business information will be made
available for inspection by interested persons in the Office of the
Secretary to the Commission. To be assured of consideration, written
statements relating to the Commission's report should be submitted at
the earliest possible date and should be received not later than August
31, 2000. All submissions should be addressed to the Secretary, United
States International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC
20436.
Persons with mobility impairments who will need special assistance
in gaining access to the Commission should contact the Office of the
Secretary at 202-205-2000.
Issued: May 16, 2000.
By order of the Commission.
Donna R. Koehnke,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 00-13075 Filed 5- 23-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7020-02-P