[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 242 (Wednesday, December 17, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70333-70334]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-31132]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


Determinations Under the African Growth and Opportunity Act

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The United States Trade Representative (USTR) has determined 
that Niger has adopted an effective visa system and related procedures 
to prevent unlawful transshipment and the use of counterfeit documents 
in connection with shipments of textile and apparel articles and has 
implemented and follows, or is making substantial progress toward 
implementing and following, the customs procedures required by the 
African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Therefore, imports of 
eligible

[[Page 70334]]

products from Niger qualify for the textile and apparel benefits 
provided under the AGOA.

DATES: Effective December 17, 2003.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patrick Coleman, Director for African 
Affairs, Office of the United States Trade Representative, (202) 395-
9514.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The AGOA (Title I of the Trade and 
Development Act of 2000, Pub. L. 106-200) provides preferential tariff 
treatment for imports of certain textile and apparel products of 
beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries. The textile and apparel 
trade benefits under the AGOA are available to imports of eligible 
products from countries that the President designates as ``beneficiary 
sub-Saharan African countries,'' provided that these countries: (1) 
Have adopted an effective visa system and related procedures to prevent 
unlawful transshipment and the use of counterfeit documents; and (2) 
have implemented and follow, or are making substantial progress toward 
implementing and following, certain customs procedures that assist the 
Customs Service in verifying the origin of the products.
    In Proclamation 7350 (Oct. 2, 2000), the President designated Niger 
as a ``beneficiary sub-Saharan African country.'' Proclamation 7350 
delegated to the USTR the authority to determine whether designated 
countries have met the two requirements described above. The President 
directed the USTR to announce any such determinations in the Federal 
Register and to implement them through modifications of the Harmonized 
Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS). Based on actions that Niger 
has taken, I have determined that Niger has satisfied these two 
requirements.
    Accordingly, pursuant to the authority vested in the USTR by 
Proclamation 7350, U.S. note 7(a) to subchapter II of chapter 98 of the 
HTS and U.S. note 1 to subchapter XIX of chapter 98 of the HTS are each 
modified by inserting ``Niger'' in alphabetical sequence in the list of 
countries. The foregoing modifications to the HTS are effective with 
respect to articles entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for 
consumption, on or after the effective date of this notice. Importers 
claiming preferential tariff treatment under the AGOA for entries of 
textile and apparel articles should ensure that those entries meet the 
applicable visa requirements. See Visa Requirements Under the African 
Growth and Opportunity Act, 66 FR 7837 (2001).

Robert B. Zoellick,
United States Trade Representative.
[FR Doc. 03-31132 Filed 12-16-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-W3-M