[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 233 (Monday, December 6, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70498-70500]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-26676]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


Request for Comments and Notice of Public Hearing Concerning 
Proposed Free Trade Agreement With Oman

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice of intent to initiate negotiations on a free trade 
agreement with Oman, request for comments, and notice of public 
hearing.

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

SUMMARY: The United States intends to initiate negotiations on a free 
trade agreement with Oman. 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 agreements and to 
provide advice on how specific goods and services and other matters 
should be treated under the proposed agreements.

DATES: Persons wishing to testify orally at the hearing must provide 
written notification of their intent to testify, as well as their 
testimony, by January 5, 2005. A hearing will be held in Washington, 
DC, on January 14, 2005. Written comments are due by noon, January 25, 
2005.

ADDRESSES: Submissions by electronic mail: [email protected]. 
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 regarding Oman 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

[[Page 70499]]

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 November 15, 2004, 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 
Oman 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 February 28, 2005. 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 agreements, the Chairman of the 
TPSC invites the 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 Oman, any concession that should be 
sought by the United States, or any other matter relevant to the 
proposed agreements. 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 agreements.
    (b) Economic costs and benefits to U.S. producers and consumers of 
removal of tariffs and non-tariff barriers on articles traded with 
Oman.
    (c) Treatment of specific goods (described by HTSUS numbers) under 
the proposed agreements, 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 that imported 
goods originate from Oman, and appropriate rules of origin for goods 
entering the United States under the proposed agreements.
    (e) Existing sanitary and phytosanitary measures and technical 
barriers to trade imposed by Oman that should be addressed in the 
negotiations.
    (f) Existing barriers to trade in services between the United 
States and Oman 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 agreements and the scope of the U.S. environmental review 
of the proposed agreements, and (b) the impact of the proposed 
agreements on U.S. employment and labor markets.
    A hearing will be held on January 14, 2005, in Rooms 1 and 2, 1724 
F Street, NW., Washington, DC. Persons wishing to testify at the 
hearing must provide written notification of their intent to testify by 
January 5, 2005. 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, January 25, 2005. 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-Oman 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. Spreadsheets submitted as 
supporting documentation are acceptable as Quattro Pro or Excel. If any 
document submitted electronically contains business confidential 
information, 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.

[[Page 70500]]

    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 
(http://www.ustr.gov).

Carmen Suro-Bredie,
Chairman, Trade Policy Staff Committee.
[FR Doc. 04-26676 Filed 12-3-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-W5-P