[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 15 (Wednesday, January 24, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3169-3170]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-1121]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


Request for Comments From the Public on Haiti's Eligibility for 
Benefits Under the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity Through Partnership 
Encouragement Act of 2006

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity Through Partnership 
Encouragement Act Implementation Subcommittee of the Trade Policy Staff 
Committee (the ``Subcommittee'') is requesting that the public provide 
written comments on whether Haiti meets the eligibility requirements 
set out in 5002(d) of the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity Through 
Partnership Encouragement Act (HOPE). The Subcommittee will consider 
these comments in developing a recommendation to the President on 
Haiti's eligibility under HOPE. The President is required to make this 
determination no later than March 20, 2007.

DATES: Public Comments are due at the Office of the U.S. Trade 
Representative (USTR) by noon, Tuesday, February 13, 2007.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments by electronic mail (e-mail) to: 
[email protected]. For assistance or if unable to submit comments by 
e-mail, contact Gloria Blue, Executive Secretary, Trade Policy Staff 
Committee, at (202) 395-6143.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For procedural questions, please 
contact Gloria Blue, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, 600 17th 
Street, NW., Room F516, Washington, DC 20508, at (202) 395-3475. All 
other questions should be directed to Viondette Lopez, Director of 
Caribbean Affairs, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, at (202) 
395-6117.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act 
(CBERA) (Pub. L. 98-67) (19 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.), as amended by HOPE, 
authorizes the President to designate Haiti as a beneficiary country 
eligible for duty-free treatment for certain apparel articles as well 
as certain wire harness automotive components, if he determines that 
Haiti meets the eligibility criteria set forth in: (1) Section 213a of 
the CBERA (section 5002(d) of HOPE) and (2) section 502 of the 1974 
Act. Application of preferential treatment, however, is also 
conditioned on Haiti meeting conditions set out in section 5002(e) of 
HOPE. Written comments are requested on whether Haiti meets the 
eligibility requirements set out below.

Eligibility Requirements Under Section 5002(d)

    (1) IN GENERAL--Haiti shall be eligible for preferential treatment 
under this section if the President determines and certifies to 
Congress that Haiti--
    (A) has established, or is making continual progress toward 
establishing--
    (i) a market-based economy that protects private property rights, 
incorporates an open rules-based trading system, and minimizes 
government interference in the economy through measures such as price 
controls, subsidies, and government ownership of economic assets;
    (ii) the rule of law, political pluralism, and the right to due 
process, a fair trial, and equal protection under the law;
    (iii) the elimination of barriers to United States trade and 
investment, including by--
    (I) the provision of national treatment and measures to create an 
environment conducive to domestic and foreign investment;
    (II) the protection of intellectual property; and
    (III) the resolution of bilateral trade and investment disputes;
    (iv) economic policies to reduce poverty, increase the availability 
of health care and educational opportunities, expand physical 
infrastructure, promote the development of private enterprise, and 
encourage the formation of capital markets through microcredit or other 
programs;
    (v) a system to combat corruption and bribery, such as signing and 
implementing the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public 
Officials in International Business Transactions; and
    (vi) protection of internationally recognized worker rights, 
including the right of association, the right to organize and bargain 
collectively, a prohibition on the use of any form of forced or 
compulsory labor, a minimum age for the employment of children, and 
acceptable conditions of work with respect to minimum wages, hours of 
work, and occupational safety and health;
    (B) does not engage in activities that undermine United States 
national security or foreign policy interests; and
    (C) does not engage in gross violations of internationally 
recognized human rights or provide support for acts of international 
terrorism and cooperates in international efforts to eliminate human 
rights violations and terrorist activities.
    Requirements for Submissions: In order to facilitate the prompt 
processing of submissions, USTR requires electronic e-mail submissions 
in response to this notice. Hand-delivered submissions will not be 
accepted. Submissions should be single-copy transmissions in English 
with the total submission not to exceed 10 single-spaced standard 
letter-size pages. The e-mail transmission should use the following 
subject line: ``Haiti Eligibility

[[Page 3170]]

for Benefits under HOPE''. Documents must be submitted as MSWord 
(``.doc''), WordPerfect (``.wpd''), ADOBE (``.pdf''), or text 
(``.txt'') files. Spreadsheets submitted as supporting documentation 
are acceptable as Quattro Pro or Excel files, pre-formatted for 
printing only on 8\1/2\ x 11 inch paper. To the extent possible, any 
data attachments to the submission should be included in the same file 
as the submission itself, and not as separate files. Submissions in 
response to this notice will be subject to public inspection by 
appointment with the staff of the USTR Public Reading Room except for 
information granted ``business confidential'' status pursuant to 15 CFR 
2003.6.
    If the submission contains business confidential information, a 
non-confidential version of the submission must also be submitted that 
indicates where confidential information was redacted by inserting 
asterisks where material was deleted. In addition, the confidential 
version must be clearly marked ``BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL'' at the top and 
bottom of each page of the document. The non-confidential version must 
be clearly marked ``PUBLIC'' or ``NON-CONFIDENTIAL'' at the top and 
bottom of each page. Documents that are submitted without any marking 
might not be accepted or will be considered public documents.
    For any document containing business confidential information 
submitted as an electronic attached file to an e-mail transmission, 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 character ``P-''. The ``BC-'' or ``P-'' should be 
followed by the name of the party (government, company, union, 
association, etc.) which is submitting the comments.
    E-mail submissions should not include separate cover letters or 
messages in the message area of the e-mail; information that might 
appear in any cover letter should be included directly in the attached 
file containing the submission itself, including the sender's 
identifying information with telephone number, fax number, and e-mail 
address. The email address for these submissions is 
[email protected]. Documents not submitted in accordance with these 
instructions might not be considered in this review. If unable to 
provide submissions by e-mail, please contact Gloria Blue, Executive 
Secretary, Trade Policy Staff Committee, at (202) 395-6143 to arrange 
for an alternative method of transmission.
    Public versions of all documents relating to this review will be 
available for public review approximately three weeks after the due 
date by appointment in the USTR Public Reading Room, 1724 F Street NW., 
Washington, DC. Availability of documents may be ascertained, and 
appointments may be made from 9:30 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, by calling 202-395-6186.

Carmen Suro-Bredie,
Chairman, Trade Policy Staff Committee.
 [FR Doc. E7-1121 Filed 1-23-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-W7-P