[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 167 (Thursday, August 28, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51823-51824]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-22018]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


Request for Comments and Notice of Public Hearing Concerning 
Proposed United States-Dominican Republic Free Trade Negotiations

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice of intent to initiate free trade negotiations between 
the United States and the Dominican Republic, request for comments, and 
notice of public hearing.

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SUMMARY: The United States intends to initiate free trade negotiations 
with the Dominican Republic. The interagency Trade Policy Staff 
Committee (TPSC) will convene a public hearing and seek public comment 
to provide the United States Trade Representative (USTR) advice on how 
specific goods and services and other matters should be treated under 
an agreement resulting from the proposed negotiations.

DATES: Persons wishing to testify orally at the hearing must provide 
written notification of their intention, as well as their testimony, by 
October 1, 2003. A hearing will be held in Washington, DC beginning on 
October 8, 2003, and will continue as necessary on subsequent days. 
Written comments are due by noon, November 2, 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 Andrea Gash Durkin, 
Director for Central America and the Caribbean, (202) 395-6135.

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 regarding the negotiations.
    Under section 131 of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (19 U.S.C. 
2151), the President must 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. In addition, 
pursuant to section 133, the President must afford interested persons 
an opportunity to present their views regarding any matter relevant to 
any proposed agreement.
    On August 4, 2003, after consulting with relevant Congressional 
committees and the Congressional Oversight Group, the USTR notified the 
Congress that the President intends to initiate free trade agreement 
negotiations with the Dominican Republic and identified specific 
objectives for the negotiations. Through these negotiations, we expect 
to provide for essentially the same disciplines as those in the Free 
Trade Agreement we are currently negotiating with the five member 
countries of the Central American Economic Integration System (Costa 
Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua) (CAFTA), and to 
negotiate specific market access commitments with the Dominican 
Republic. On August 6, 2003, the USTR requested the ITC to provide 
advice on probable economic effects. The ITC intends to provide this 
advice within four months of its receipt of the request. This notice 
solicits views

[[Page 51824]]

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 in pursuing these negotiations, 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 the Dominican Republic, any 
concession which 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.-Dominican Republic 
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 Dominican 
Republic origin of imported goods, and appropriate rules of origin for 
goods entering the United States under the proposed agreement.
    (e) Existing Dominican Republic sanitary and phytosanitary measures 
and technical barriers to trade.
    (f) Existing barriers to trade in services between the United 
States and the Dominican Republic that should be addressed in the 
negotiations.
    (g) Investment issues that should be addressed in the negotiations.
    (h) Government procurement issues that should be addressed in the 
negotiations and other relevant issues.
    Comments may address issues such as trade-related intellectual 
property rights, labor, and environment, noting that we expect to 
provide for essentially the same disciplines for the Dominican Republic 
that are negotiated with CAFTA. Comments identifying 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 U.S. producers. At a later date, the USTR, through 
the TPSC, will publish notice of the U.S. environmental and employment 
impact reviews.
    A hearing will be held on October 8, 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 by October 1, 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 paragraph) summary of the presentation, including the subject 
matter and, as applicable, the product(s) (with HTSUS numbers), service 
sector(s), or other subjects 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 2, 2003. Written 
comments may include rebuttal points demonstrating 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.

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--Dominican Republic Free Trade 
Negotiations'' followed by (as appropriate) ``Notice of Intent to 
Testify,'' ``Testimony,'' or ``Written Comments.'' Documents should be 
submitted as 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 nonconfidential 
summary of the confidential information. All public documents and 
nonconfidential 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 12 p.m. 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 
(http://www.ustr.gov).

Carmen Suro-Bredie,
Chairman, Trade Policy Staff Committee.
[FR Doc. 03-22018 Filed 8-27-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-01-P