[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 164 (Monday, August 25, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51062-51064]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-21679]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


Request for Comments and Notice of Public Hearing Concerning 
Proposed United States-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice of intent to initiate negotiations on a free trade 
agreement between the United States and Bahrain,

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request for comments, and notice of public hearing.

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SUMMARY: The United States intends to initiate negotiations with 
Bahrain on a free trade agreement. The interagency Trade Policy Staff 
Committee (TPSC) will convene a public hearing and seek public comment 
to assist the United States Trade Representative (USTR) in amplifying 
and clarifying negotiating objectives for the proposed agreement and to 
provide advice on how specific goods and services and other matters 
should be treated under the proposed agreement.

DATES: Persons wishing to testify orally at the hearing must provide 
written notification of their intention, as well as their testimony, by 
October 17, 2003. A hearing will be held in Washington, DC, beginning 
on November 5, 2003 and will continue as necessary on subsequent days. 
Written comments are due by noon, November 17, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Submissions by electronic mail: [email protected] (notice of 
intent to testify and written testimony); [email protected] (written 
comments). Submissions by facsimile: Gloria Blue, Executive Secretary, 
Trade Policy Staff Committee, at (202) 395-6143. The public is strongly 
encouraged to submit documents electronically rather than by facsimile. 
(See requirements for submissions below.)

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For procedural questions concerning 
written comments or participation in the public hearing, contact Gloria 
Blue, Executive Secretary, Trade Policy Staff Committee, at (202) 395-
3475. All other questions should be directed to Jason Buntin, Director 
for Western Europe and Middle East Affairs at (202) 395-3320.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

1. Background

    Under section 2104 of the Trade Act of 2002 (Trade Act) (19 U.S.C. 
3804), for agreements that will be approved and implemented through 
trade promotion authority (TPA) procedures, the President must provide 
the Congress with at least 90 days written notice of his intent to 
enter into negotiations and must identify the specific objectives for 
the negotiations. Before and after the submission of this notice, the 
President must consult with appropriate Congressional committees and 
the Congressional Oversight Group (COG) regarding the negotiations. 
Under the Trade Act of 1974, as amended, the President must (i) afford 
interested persons an opportunity to present their views regarding any 
matter relevant to any proposed agreement, (ii) designate an agency or 
inter-agency committee to hold a public hearing regarding any proposed 
agreement, and (iii) seek the advice of the U.S. International Trade 
Commission (ITC) regarding the probable economic effects on U.S. 
industries and consumers of the removal of tariffs and non-tariff 
barriers on imports pursuant to any proposed agreement.
    On August 4, 2003, after consulting with relevant Congressional 
committees and the COG, the USTR notified the Congress that the 
President intends to initiate free trade agreement negotiations with 
Bahrain and identified specific objectives for the negotiations. In 
addition, the USTR has requested that the ITC provide its advice on 
probable economic effects no later than December 13, 2003. This notice 
solicits views from the public on these negotiations and provides 
information on a hearing that will be conducted pursuant to the 
requirements of the Trade Act of 1974.

2. Public Comments and Testimony

    To assist the Administration as it continues to develop its 
negotiating objectives for the proposed agreement, the Chairman of the 
TPSC invites written comments and/or oral testimony of interested 
persons at a public hearing. Comments and testimony may address the 
reduction or elimination of tariffs or non-tariff barriers on any 
articles provided for in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United 
States (HTSUS) that are products of Bahrain, any concession that should 
be sought by the United States, or any other matter relevant to the 
proposed agreement. The TPSC invites comments and testimony on all of 
these matters and, in particular, seeks comments and testimony 
addressed to:
    (a) General and commodity-specific negotiating objectives for the 
proposed agreement.
    (b) Economic costs and benefits to U.S. producers and consumers of 
removal of tariffs and non-tariff barriers to U.S.-Bahrain trade.
    (c) Treatment of specific goods (described by Harmonized System 
tariff numbers) under the proposed agreement, including comments on
    (1) product-specific import or export interests or barriers,
    (2) experience with particular measures that should be addressed in 
the negotiations, and
    (3) in the case of articles for which immediate elimination of 
tariffs is not appropriate, a recommended staging schedule for such 
elimination.
    (d) Adequacy of existing customs measures to ensure Bahraini origin 
of imported goods, and appropriate rules of origin for goods entering 
the United States under the proposed agreement.
    (e) Existing Bahraini sanitary and phytosanitary measures and 
technical barriers to trade.
    (f) Existing barriers to trade in services between the United 
States and Bahrain that should be addressed in the negotiations.
    (g) Relevant trade-related intellectual property rights issues that 
should be addressed in the negotiations.
    (h) Relevant investment issues that should be addressed in the 
negotiations.
    (i) Relevant government procurement issues that should be addressed 
in the negotiations.
    (j) Relevant environmental and labor issues that should be 
addressed in the negotiations.
    Comments identifying as present or potential trade barriers laws or 
regulations that are not primarily trade-related should address the 
economic, political and social objectives of such regulations and the 
degree to which they discriminate against producers of the other 
country. At a later date, the USTR, through the TPSC, will publish 
notice of reviews regarding (a) the possible environmental effects of 
the proposed agreement and the scope of the U.S. environmental review 
of the proposed agreement, and (b) the impact of the proposed agreement 
on U.S. employment and labor markets.
    A hearing will be held on November 5, 2003, in Rooms 1 and 2, 1724 
F Street, NW, Washington, DC. If necessary, the hearing will continue 
on subsequent days. Persons wishing to testify at the hearing must 
provide written notification of their intention October 17, 2003. The 
notification should include: (1) The name, address, and telephone 
number of the person presenting the testimony; and (2) a short (one or 
two paragraphs) summary of the presentation, including the subject 
matter and, as applicable, the product(s) (with HTSUS numbers), service 
sector(s), or other subjects (such as investment, intellectual property 
and/or government procurement) to be discussed. A copy of the testimony 
must accompany the notification. Remarks at the hearing should be 
limited to no more than five minutes to allow for possible questions 
from the TPSC. Persons with mobility impairments who will need special 
assistance in gaining access to the hearing should contact the TPSC 
Executive Secretary. Interested persons, including persons who 
participate in the hearing, may submit written comments by noon, 
November 17, 2003. Written comments may include rebuttal points 
demonstrating

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errors of fact or analysis not pointed out in the hearing. All written 
comments must state clearly the position taken, describe with 
particularity the supporting rationale, and be in English. The first 
page of written comments must specify the subject matter, including, as 
applicable, the product(s) (with HTSUS numbers), service sector(s), or 
other subjects (such as investment, intellectual property and/or 
government procurement).

3. Requirements for Submissions

    In order to facilitate prompt processing of submissions, the Office 
of the United States Trade Representative strongly urges and prefers 
electronic (e-mail) submissions in response to this notice. In the 
event that an e-mail submission is impossible, submissions should be 
made by facsimile.
    Persons making submissions by e-mail should use the following 
subject line: ``United States-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement'' followed 
by (as appropriate) ``Notice of Intent to Testify,'' ``Testimony,'' or 
``Written Comments.'' Documents should be submitted as either 
WordPerfect, MSWord, or text (.TXT) files. Supporting documentation 
submitted as spreadsheets are acceptable as Quattro Pro or Excel. For 
any document containing business confidential information submitted 
electronically, the file name of the business confidential version 
should begin with the characters ``BC-,'' and the file name of the 
public version should begin with the characters ``P-.'' The ``P-'' or 
``BC-'' should be followed by the name of the submitter. Persons who 
make submissions by e-mail should not provide separate cover letters; 
information that might appear in a cover letter should be included in 
the submission itself. To the extent possible, any attachments to the 
submission should be included in the same file as the submission 
itself, and not as separate files.
    Written comments, notice of testimony, and testimony will be placed 
in a file open to public inspection pursuant to 15 CFR 2003.5, except 
business confidential information exempt from public inspection in 
accordance with 15 CFR 2003.6. Business confidential information 
submitted in accordance with 15 CFR 2003.6 must be clearly marked 
``Business Confidential'' at the top of each page, including any cover 
letter or cover page, and must be accompanied by a non-confidential 
summary of the confidential information. All public documents and non-
confidential summaries shall be available for public inspection in the 
USTR Reading Room. The USTR Reading Room is open to the public, by 
appointment only, from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Monday 
through Friday. An appointment to review the file must be scheduled at 
least 48 hours in advance and may be made by calling (202) 395-6186.
    General information concerning the Office of the United States 
Trade Representative may be obtained by accessing its Internet Web site 
(www.ustr.gov).

Carmen Suro-Bredie,
Chairman, Trade Policy Staff Committee.
[FR Doc. 03-21679 Filed 8-22-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-01-P