[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 121 (Thursday, June 22, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38872-38874]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-15660]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


Notice of Invitation for Public Comment From FTAA Committee of 
Government Representatives on the Participation of Civil Society

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

ACTION:  Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Office of the United States Trade Representative is 
providing notification that the Committee of Government Representatives 
on the Participation of Civil Society (Committee), established by the 
34 countries participating in the negotiations for a Free Trade Area of 
the Americas (FTAA), has issued an invitation for public comment on 
trade matters related to the FTAA process.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: The invitation for public comment and a cover 
sheet identifying information to be included with submissions to the 
Committee have been posted on the official FTAA website (www.ftaa-alca.org) and are reproduced below. The FTAA website also contains 
background information regarding the FTAA process, including the 
Committee's report of November 1999 to the FTAA Trade Ministers and the 
Toronto and San Jose Ministerial Declarations. Any questions concerning 
the FTAA negotiations should be addressed to the agency's Office of 
Western Hemisphere Affairs at (202) 395-5190.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Background on the FTAA Negotiations

    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 the 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 phytosanitary 
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 
recommendations on the structure, objectives, principles, and venues of 
the negotiations. The trade ministers proposed the creation of nine 
negotiating groups and three non-negotiating committees and groups, 
including the Committee of Government Representatives on the 
Participation of Civil Society. They also established the Trade 
Negotiations Committee (TNC) to guide the work of the negotiating 
groups, to decide on the overall

[[Page 38873]]

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 addition 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 
chapter, to be completed by the next meeting of FTAA ministers in April 
2001. The Toronto Declaration has been posted on the official FTAA 
website (www.ftaa-alca.org).

2. FTAA 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 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 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).

3. Invitation for Public Comments

    The Committee has issued a second invitation to the public for 
comments on the FTAA process. The U.S. Government encourages the widest 
participation in this public comment process and will ensure that U.S. 
negotiators review all submissions for consideration in the ongoing 
FTAA negotiations. The invitation is an important part of our effort to 
ensure that the views of the public receive consideration in the FTAA 
negotiating process. The comments received by the Committee will form 
the basis for the Committee's next report to the FTAA Trade Ministers.
    The invitation has been posted on the official FTAA website 
(www.ftaa-alca.org), along with a cover sheet detailing information 
that must be included with all submissions to the Committee. Those 
persons wishing to submit comments must comply with the requirements 
listed in the invitation, particularly those contained in paragraph 4, 
and include a completed cover sheet with each submission. Both the 
invitation and the cover sheet are reproduced below. The deadline for 
receipt of comments is September 30, 2000.

Peter F. Allgeier,
Associate United States Trade Representative for the Western 
Hemisphere.

Open Invitation to Civil Society in FTAA Participating Countries

    1. During the Fifth Trade Ministerial Meeting held in Toronto on 
November 4, 1999, the Ministers Responsible for Trade of the 
Hemisphere welcomed the report of the Committee of Government 
Representatives on the Participation of Civil Society, which 
presents a range of views received from individuals and 
organizations in the hemisphere. The Trade Ministers reaffirmed 
their commitment to the principle of transparency in the negotiating 
process and to conducting their negotiations in such a manner as to 
broaden public understanding and support for the FTAA.
    2. They stressed the fact that the Committee was established as 
a mechanism to fulfill this commitment and to obtain ongoing input 
from Civil Society on trade matters relevant to the FTAA through 
written submissions, using the San Jose Declaration as the frame of 
reference. They also requested that the Committee present a report 
outlining the full range of reviews received for their consideration 
at the next Ministerial meeting scheduled to be held in Buenos Aires 
in April 2001.
    3. The Committee acknowledges the submissions received in 
response to its first ``Open Invitation to Civil Society'' and 
thanks all those organizations and individuals who took the time and 
effort to contribute their views. In consideration of its mandate, 
and in order to obtain ongoing input from civil society on trade 
matters relevant to the FTAA, using the San Jose Declaration as the 
frame of reference, the Committee extends this invitation, as of 
April 10, to Civil Society to express their views in writing, by 
mail, fax, e-mail or courier.
    4. In order to be considered, each submission must:
     Identify the person(s) and/or organization(s), with 
their address, that is/are presenting the point of view.
     Refer to the trade matters related to the FTAA process, 
using the Ministerial Declarations of San Jose and Toronto as the 
frame of reference;
     Be in concise written form, in one of the official FTAA 
languages (Spanish, English, French, Portuguese);
     Be prefaced by the information requested in the cover 
sheet attached to this document and that is available on the FTAA 
web site (http://www.ftaa-alca.org);
     Include an executive summary of no more than two pages, 
including reference to the trade matters it refers to and the way 
the

[[Page 38874]]

views contribute to the FTAA process, as stipulated in the 
Ministerial Declaration of San Jose;
     Be sent directly to the Chair of the Committee of 
Government Representatives on the Participation of Civil Society, at 
the following address: c/o Tripartite Committee (REf. Civil 
Society), Economic Commission for Latin American and the Caribbean 
(ECLAC), 1825 K Street NW, Suite 1120, Washington, D.C. 20006, Fax: 
(202) 296-0826, e-mail: [email protected].
    5. The Commission will prepare its next report to Ministers on 
the basis of submissions determined to confirm with paragraph 4 of 
this invitation and that are received up to September 30, 2000.

FTAA--COMMITTEE OF GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES ON THE PARTICIPATION 
OF CIVIL SOCIETY

Cover Sheet

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Names(s)                                    ....................................................................
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Address                                     ....................................................................
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Organization(s) (if applicable)             ....................................................................
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Country(ies)/Region(s)                      ....................................................................
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Number of Pages                        .....................................  Language                              ....................................
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                                     ISSUES ADDRESSED (Check all that apply)
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Agriculture                                              Subsidies, Antidumping and Countervailing Duties
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Competition Policy                                       Civil Society
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Dispute Settlement                                       Electronic Commerce
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Government Procurement                                   Smaller Economies
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Intellectual Property Rights                             The FTAA Process
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Investment                                               Other:
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Market Access                                            ..................................................
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Services                                                 ..................................................
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Executive Summary--2 pages maximum--(see Open Invitation):
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[FR Doc. 00-15660 Filed 6-21-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3901-01-M