[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book II)]
[October 15, 1993]
[Pages 1758-1759]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Message to the Congress on the Determination Not To Prohibit Fish 
Imports From Panama
October 15, 1993

To the Congress of the United States:
    Pursuant to section 8(b) of the Fishermen's Protective Act of 1967, 
as amended (22 U.S.C. 1978(b)), generally known as the Pelly Amendment, 
I am notifying you that on August 18, 1993, in accordance with section 
101(a) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), the Secretary of 
Commerce certified to me that a ban on the importation of yellowfin tuna 
and yellowfin tuna products from Panama has been in effect since 
December 22, 1992. This ban is the result of a finding by the Assistant 
Administrator for Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service, that 
Panama's marine mammal program was not comparable to that of the United 
States, as required by the MMPA.
    By the terms of the MMPA, such certification is deemed to be a 
certification for the purposes of the Pelly Amendment, which requires 
that I consider and, at my discretion, order the prohibition of imports 
into the United States of any products from the certified country to the 
extent that such prohibition is sanctioned by the General Agreement on 
Tariffs and Trade. The

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Pelly Amendment also requires that I report to the Congress any actions 
taken under this subsection and, if no import prohibitions have been 
ordered, the reasons for this action.
    After thorough review, I have determined that additional sanctions 
against Panama will not be imposed at this time. The Government of 
Panama is currently engaged in developing a marine mammal program that 
is comparable to that of the United States. The results of these efforts 
should be evident in an anticipated annual report and request for a 
finding of comparability for 1994 from Panama.

                                                      William J. Clinton

The White House,
October 15, 1993.