[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 41 (Monday, October 11, 2004)]
[Pages 2260-2261]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7826--To Implement the 2004 United States-Israel Agreement 
on Trade in Agricultural Products

 October 4, 2004

 By the President of the United States

 of America

 A Proclamation

    1. On April 22, 1985, the United States entered into the Agreement 
on the Establishment of a Free Trade Area between the Government of the 
United States of America and the Government of Israel (the ``FTA''), 
which the Congress approved in the United States-Israel Free Trade Area 
Implementation Act of 1985 (the ``FTA Act'') (19 U.S.C. 2112 Note).
    2. In order to maintain the general level of reciprocal and mutually 
advantageous concessions with respect to agricultural trade with Israel, 
on July 27, 2004, the Government of the United States entered into an 
agreement with the Government of Israel concerning certain aspects of 
trade in agricultural products during the period January 1, 2004, 
through December 31, 2008 (the ``2004 Agreement''). The 2004 Agreement 
reflects an effort by the United States and Israel to address, through 
2008, their continuing differences over the meaning of certain 
provisions in the FTA governing access for United States agricultural 
products to Israel's market.
    3. Section 4(b) of the FTA Act provides that, whenever the President 
determines that it is necessary to maintain the general level

[[Page 2261]]

of reciprocal and mutually advantageous concessions with respect to 
Israel provided for by the FTA, the President may proclaim such 
withdrawal, suspension, modification, or continuance of any duty, or 
such continuance of existing duty-free or excise treatment, or such 
additional duties as the President determines to be required or 
appropriate to carry out the FTA.
    4. Pursuant to section 4(b) of the FTA Act, I have determined that 
it is necessary, in order to maintain the general level of reciprocal 
and mutually advantageous concessions with respect to Israel, to provide 
through the close of December 31, 2008, access into the United States 
customs territory for specified quantities of certain agricultural 
products of Israel free of duty or certain fees or other import charges.
    5. Section 604 of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2483) (the 
``Trade Act'') authorizes the President to embody in the Harmonized 
Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS) the substance of the relevant 
provisions of that act, and of other acts affecting import treatment, 
and actions thereunder, including removal, modification, continuance, or 
imposition of any rate of duty or other import restriction.
    Now, Therefore, I, George W. Bush, President of the United States of 
America, acting under the authority vested in me by the Constitution and 
the laws of the United States, including section 4 of the FTA Act and 
section 604 of the Trade Act, do hereby proclaim:
    (1) In order to implement aspects of the 2004 Agreement with the 
Government of Israel, concerning certain aspects of trade in 
agricultural products, the HTS is modified as provided in the Annex to 
this proclamation.
    (2) Any provisions of previous proclamations and Executive Orders 
that are inconsistent with the actions taken in this proclamation are 
superseded to the extent of such inconsistency.
    (3) The modifications to the HTS made by the Annex to this 
proclamation shall be effective with respect to goods that are the 
product of Israel and are entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for 
consumption, on or after January 1, 2004, and the tariff treatment set 
forth therein shall be effective as provided in such Annex through 
December 31, 2008.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this fourth day of 
October, in the year of our Lord two thousand four, and of the 
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-
ninth.
                                                George W. Bush

 [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., October 6, 
2004]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on October 
7.