[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 55 (Wednesday, March 22, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14558-14559]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-2773]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


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

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SUMMARY: The United States intends to initiate negotiations with 
Malaysia on a free trade agreement (FTA). 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 
April 21, 2006. A hearing will be held in Washington, DC, beginning on 
May 3, 2006, and will continue as necessary on subsequent days. Written 
comments are due by noon, May 12, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Submissions by electronic mail (notice of intent to testify, 
written testimony) should be submitted to: [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 Jeri Jensen, Deputy 
Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Southeast Asia and Pacific 
Affairs, at (202) 395-6813 or Ted Posner, Office of the General 
Counsel, (202) 395-9512.

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 (USITC) 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 March 8, 2006, 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 Malaysia and identified specific objectives for the 
negotiations. In addition, the USTR has requested the USITC's probable 
economic effects advice. The USITC intends to provide this advice by 
June 30, 2006. 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

[[Page 14559]]

provided for in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States 
(HTSUS) that are products of Malaysia, 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 or 
removal of tariffs and non-tariff barriers to U.S.-Malaysia 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 Malaysian 
origin of imposed goods, and appropriate rules of origin for goods 
entering the United States under the proposed agreement.
    (e) Existing Malaysian sanitary and phytosanitary measures and 
technical barriers to trade.
    (f) Existing barriers to trade in services between the United 
States and Malaysia that should be addressed in the negotiations.
    (g) Relevant electronic commerce issues that should be addressed in 
the negotiations.
    (h) Relevant trade-related intellectual property rights issues that 
should be addressed in the negotiations.
    (i) Relevant investment issues that should be addressed in the 
negotiations.
    (j) Relevant competition-related matters that should be addressed 
in the negotiations.
    (k) Relevant government procurement issues that should be addressed 
in the negotiations.
    (l) Relevant environmental issues that should be addressed in the 
negotiations.
    (m) 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 laws or 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 beginning on May 3, 2006, 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 April 21, 2006. 
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.
    Interested persons, including persons who participate in the 
hearing, may summit written comments by noon, May 12, 2006. 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-Malaysia Free Trade Agreement'' followed 
by (as appropriate) ``Notice of Intent to Testify,'' ``Testimony,'' or 
``Written Comments.'' Documents should be submitted as MSWord files or 
Word Perfect. 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. 06-2773 Filed 3-21-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-W6-M