[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 88 (Tuesday, May 7, 2002)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 30537-30539]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-11488]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 67, No. 88 / Tuesday, May 7, 2002 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 30537]]


                Proclamation 7554 of May 3, 2002

                
To Extend Duty-Free Treatment for Certain 
                Agricultural Products of Israel

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                1. On April 22, 1985, the United States entered into 
                the Agreement on the Establishment of a Free Trade Area 
                between the Government of the United States of America 
                and the Government of Israel (the ``FTA''), which the 
                Congress approved in the United States-Israel Free 
                Trade Area Implementation Act of 1985 (the ``FTA Act'') 
                (19 U.S.C. 2112 Note).

                2. On November 4, 1996, the United States entered into 
                an agreement with Israel concerning certain aspects of 
                trade in agricultural products, effective from December 
                4, 1996, through December 31, 2001 (the ``1996 
                Agreement''), in order to maintain the general level of 
                reciprocal and mutually advantageous concessions with 
                respect to agricultural trade with Israel while 
                acknowledging differing interpretations regarding the 
                meaning of certain rights and obligations in the FTA as 
                to such trade.

                3. Section 4(b) of the FTA Act provides that, whenever 
                the President determines that it is necessary to 
                maintain the general level of reciprocal and mutually 
                advantageous concessions with respect to Israel 
                provided for by the FTA, the President may proclaim 
                such withdrawal, suspension, modification, or 
                continuance of any duty, or such continuance of 
                existing duty-free or excise treatment, or such 
                additional duties as the President determines to be 
                required or appropriate to carry out the FTA.

                4. Pursuant to section 4(b) of the FTA Act, President 
                Clinton issued Proclamation 6962 of December 2, 1996, 
                to provide through the close of December 31, 2001, 
                access into the United States customs territory for 
                specified quantities of certain agricultural products 
                of Israel free of duty or certain fees or other import 
                charges, consistent with the 1996 Agreement.

                5. On December 31, 2001, the United States entered into 
                an agreement with Israel to extend the 1996 Agreement 
                through December 31, 2002, in order to allow for 
                additional time to negotiate a successor arrangement to 
                the 1996 Agreement.

                6. Pursuant to section 4(b) of the FTA Act, I have 
                determined that it is necessary, in order to maintain 
                the general level of reciprocal and mutually 
                advantageous concessions with respect to Israel 
                provided for by the FTA, to provide through the close 
                of December 31, 2002, duty-free treatment for specified 
                quantities of certain agricultural products of Israel.

                7. Section 604 of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 
                2483) (the ``Trade Act'') authorizes the President to 
                embody in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United 
                States (HTS) the substance of the relevant provisions 
                of that act, and of other acts affecting import 
                treatment, and actions thereunder, including removal, 
                modification, continuance, or imposition of any rate of 
                duty or other import restriction.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the 
                United States of America, acting under the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, including section 4 of the FTA Act and 
                section 604 of the Trade Act, do hereby proclaim:

[[Page 30538]]

                    (1) In order to implement U.S. commitments under 
                the 1996 Agreement as extended through December 31, 
                2002, and, in particular, to provide duty-free 
                treatment for specified quantities of certain 
                agricultural products of Israel, subchapter VIII of 
                chapter 99 of the HTS is modified as provided in the 
                Annex to this proclamation.
                    (2) 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.
                    (3)(a) The modifications to the HTS made by the 
                Annex to this proclamation shall be effective with 
                respect to goods that are the product of Israel and are 
                entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, 
                on or after January 1, 2002, including entries for 
                which the liquidation of duties has not become final 
                under section 514 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended 
                (19 U.S.C. 1514).
                    (b) The provisions of subchapter VIII of chapter 99 
                of the HTS, as modified by the Annex to this 
                proclamation, shall continue in effect through the 
                close of December 31, 2002.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                third day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand 
                two, and of the Independence of the United States of 
                America the two hundred and twenty-sixth.

                    (Presidential Sig.)B

Billing code 3195-01-P



[[Page 30539]]

Modifications to Subchapter VIII of Chapter 99 of the Harmonized Tariff 
Schedule of the United States
Effective with respect to goods that are the product of Israel and are 
entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after 
January 1, 2002, and through the close of December 31, 2002, subchapter 
VIII of chapter 99 of the HTS is modified as provided herein:
    1. U.S. note 1 to such subchapter is modified by striking 
``December 31, 2001,'' and by inserting in lieu thereof ``December 31, 
2002,''.
    2. U.S. note 3 is modified by inserting at the end of the table 
therein the following additional applicable time period and quantity: 
``Calendar year 2002 . . . . . 383,000''.
    3. U.S. note 4 is modified by inserting at the end of the table 
therein the following additional applicable time period and quantity: 
``Calendar year 2002 . . . . . 1,160,000''.
    4. U.S. note 5 is modified by inserting at the end of the table 
therein the following additional applicable time period and quantity: 
``Calendar year 2002 . . . . . 1,279,000''.
    5. U.S. note 6 is modified by inserting at the end of the table 
therein the following additional applicable time period and quantity: 
``Calendar year 2002 . . . . . 116,000''.
    6. U.S. note 7 is modified by inserting at the end of the table 
therein the following additional applicable time period and quantity: 
``Calendar year 2002 . . . . . 405,317''.

[FR Doc. 02-11488
Filed 5-6-02; 8:45 am]

Billing code 3190-01-M
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