    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1991, Book I)]
    [February 4, 1991]
    [Page 103]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 103]]

    Statement by Press Secretary Fitzwater on Beneficiary Trade Status for
    the Central African Republic, Chile, Namibia, and Paraguay
    February 4, 1991

        The President today designated four countries as beneficiaries under
    the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP).
        Namibia, which became an independent country on March 21, 1990, is
    being designated as a GSP beneficiary for the first time; the Central
    African Republic (CAR), Chile, and Paraguay are being reinstated as
    beneficiaries. The GSP grants duty-free access to the United States to
    certain goods from developing countries. The four beneficiary countries
    can now export more than 4,230 products to the United States duty-free.
    For the first 11 months of 1990, the CAR exported $70,519 in GSP
    eligible products to the United States; Chile, $131 million; Paraguay,
    $21 million; and Namibia, $903,160.
        The CAR, Chile, and Paraguay had been suspended from the GSP program
    for their failure to provide internationally recognized worker rights,
    as required by the GSP statute. The Office of the United States Trade
    Representative (USTR) conducted a review of changes in the countries'
    laws and practices and determined that the countries now meet the worker
    rights requirements. Other GSP eligibility criteria include whether
    countries provide ``adequate and effective'' protection of intellectual
    property. The USTR review determined that Chile was making progress in
    providing improved patent protection.

                        Note: The related proclamations are listed in
                            Appendix E at the end of this volume.