[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 36 (Tuesday, February 24, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8518-8520]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-3872]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


Request for Comments and Notice of Public Hearing Concerning 
Proposed United States--Panama 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 the Republic of Panama, request 
for comments, and notice of public hearing.

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SUMMARY: The United States intends to initiate negotiations with the 
Republic of Panama on a free trade agreement (FTA). The interagency 
Trade Policy

[[Page 8519]]

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 
March 16, 2004. A hearing will be held in Washington, DC beginning on 
March 23, 2004, and will continue as necessary on subsequent days. 
Written comments are due by noon, April 5, 2004.

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 or James 
Wolfe, Coordinator for Central American FTA Negotiation and Outreach, 
(202) 395-9628.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Background

    Under section 2104 of the Bipartisan Trade Promotion Authority Act 
of 2002 (TPA Act) (19 U.S.C. 3804), for agreements that will be 
approved and implemented through TPA procedures, the President needs to 
provide the Congress with at least 90 days written notice of his intent 
to enter into negotiations and identify the specific objectives for the 
negotiations. Before and after the submission of this notice, the 
President is to consult with appropriate Congressional committees and 
the Congressional Oversight Group 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 November 18, 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 Republic of Panama and identified specific 
objectives for the negotiations. In addition, the USTR has requested 
the ITC's probable economic effects advice. The ITC intends to provide 
this advice on April 8, 2004. This notice solicits views from the 
public on these negotiations and provides information on a hearing 
which 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 Panama, 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.-Panama 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 Panamanian 
origin of imported goods, and appropriate rules of origin for goods 
entering the United States under the proposed agreement.
    (e) Existing Panamanian sanitary and phytosanitary measures and 
technical barriers to trade.
    (f) Existing barriers to trade in services between the United 
States and Panama 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 electronic commerce issues that should be addressed in 
the negotiations.
    (k) Relevant environmental issues that should be addressed in the 
negotiations.
    (l) Relevant 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 March 23, 2004, 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 March 16, 2004. 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 (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.

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    Interested persons, including persons who participate in the 
hearing, may submit written comments by noon, April 5, 2004. 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 
(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--Panama 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 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 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 
(http://www.ustr.gov).

Carmen Suro-Bredie,
Chairman, Trade Policy Staff Committee.
[FR Doc. 04-3872 Filed 2-23-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-W3-P