Generalized System of Preferences (GSP): Initiation of a Review To Consider the Designation of Liberia as a Least Developed Beneficiary Developing Country Under the GSP, 77237-77239 [E5-8021]
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Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 249 / Thursday, December 29, 2005 / Notices
Effective Date: 12/21/2005.
Physical Loan Application Deadline
Date: 02/21/2006.
Economic Injury (Eidl) Loan
Application Deadline Date: 09/21/2006.
ADDRESSES: Submit completed loan
applications to: Small Business
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: A.
Escobar, Office of Disaster Assistance,
U.S. Small Business Administration,
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Washington, DC 20416.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is
hereby given that as a result of the
Administrator’s disaster declaration
applications for disaster loans may be
filed at the address listed above or other
locally announced locations.
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Primary Counties:
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Contiguous Counties: Connecticut
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The Small Business Administration
publishes an interest rate called the
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a quarterly basis. This rate is a weighted
average cost of money to the
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fluctuating interest rate SBA loans. This
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January–March quarter of FY 2006.
Luz A. Hopewell,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Financial
Assistance.
[FR Doc. E5–8011 Filed 12–28–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8025–01–P
OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES
TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
Generalized System of Preferences
(GSP): Initiation of a Review To
Consider the Designation of Liberia as
a Least Developed Beneficiary
Developing Country Under the GSP
Office of the United States
Trade Representative.
ACTION: Notice and solicitation of public
comment.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: This notice announces the
initiation of a review to consider the
designation of Liberia as a least
Percent
developed beneficiary developing
Homeowners With Credit Availcountry under the GSP program and
able Elsewhere .........................
5.375 solicits public comment relating to the
Homeowners
Without
Credit
designation criteria. Comments are due
Available Elsewhere ..................
2.687
January 13, 2006, in accordance with
Businesses With Credit Available
Elsewhere .................................
6.557 the requirements for submissions,
explained below.
Businesses & Small Agricultural
Cooperatives Without Credit
ADDRESSES: Submit comments by
Available Elsewhere ..................
4.000 electronic mail (e-mail) to:
Other (Including Non-Profit OrgaFR0441@ustr.gov. For assistance or if
nizations) With Credit Available
unable to submit comments by e-mail,
Elsewhere .................................
4.750
contact the GSP Subcommittee, Office of
Businesses And Non-Profit Orgathe United States Trade Representative;
nizations Without Credit Available Elsewhere .........................
4.000 USTR Annex, Room F–220; 1724 F
Street, NW., Washington, DC 20508
(Tel. 202–395–6971).
The number assigned to this disaster
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
for physical damage is 10299 6 and for
Contact the GSP Subcommittee, Office
economic injury is 10300 0.
of the United States Trade
The States which received an EIDL
Representative; USTR Annex, Room F–
Declaration # are Connecticut,
220; 1724 F Street, NW., Washington,
Massachusetts, New York.
DC 20508 (Telephone: 202–395–6971,
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
Facsimile: 202–395–9481).
Numbers 59002 and 59008)
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Liberia’s
Dated: December 21, 2005.
GSP eligibility was suspended, effective
Hector V. Barreto,
May 1, 1990, because, following a
Administrator.
review and recommendation by the
[FR Doc. E5–7998 Filed 12–28–05; 8:45 am]
Trade Policy Staff Committee in 1989, it
BILLING CODE 8025–01–P
was determined that it had not taken
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77237
and was not taking steps to afford
internationally recognized worker rights
to workers in Liberia. The review was
initiated in response to a petition filed
by the Lawyers Committee for Human
Rights in 1988. The GSP Subcommittee
of the Trade Policy Staff Committee
(TPSC) has initiated a review in order to
make a recommendation to the
President as to whether Liberia meets
the eligibility criteria of the GSP statute,
as set out below. After considering the
eligibility criteria, the President is
authorized to designate Liberia as a least
developed beneficiary developing
country for purposes of the GSP.
Interested parties are invited to
submit comments regarding the
eligibility of Liberia for designation as a
least developed beneficiary developing
country. Documents should be
submitted in accordance with the below
instructions to be considered in this
review.
Eligibility Criteria
The trade benefits of the GSP program
are available to any country that the
President designates as a GSP
‘‘beneficiary developing country.’’
Additional trade benefits under the GSP
are available to any country that the
President designates as a GSP ‘‘leastdeveloped beneficiary developing
country.’’ In designating countries as
GSP beneficiary developing countries,
the President must consider the criteria
in sections 502(b)(2) and 502(c) of the
Trade Act of 1974, as amended (19
U.S.C. 2462(b)(2), 2462(c)) (‘‘the Act’’).
Section 502(b)(2) provides that a
country is ineligible for designation if:
1. Such country is a Communist
country, unless—
(a) The products of such country
receive nondiscriminatory treatment, (b)
Such country is a WTO Member (as
such term is defined in section 2(10) of
the Uruguay Round Agreements Act) (19
U.S.C. 3501(10)) and a member of the
International Monetary Fund, and (c)
Such country is not dominated or
controlled by international communism.
2. Such country is a party to an
arrangement of countries and
participates in any action pursuant to
such arrangement, the effect of which
is—
(a) To withhold supplies of vital
commodity resources from international
trade or to raise the price of such
commodities to an unreasonable level,
and (b) To cause serious disruption of
the world economy.
3. Such country affords preferential
treatment to the products of a developed
country, other than the United States,
which has, or is likely to have, a
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77238
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 249 / Thursday, December 29, 2005 / Notices
significant adverse effect on United
States commerce.
4. Such country—
(a) Has nationalized, expropriated, or
otherwise seized ownership or control
of property, including patents,
trademarks, or copyrights, owned by a
United States citizen or by a
corporation, partnership, or association
which is 50 percent or more beneficially
owned by United States citizens, (b) Has
taken steps to repudiate or nullify an
existing contract or agreement with a
United States citizen or a corporation,
partnership, or association which is 50
percent or more beneficially owned by
United States citizens, the effect of
which is to nationalize, expropriate, or
otherwise seize ownership or control of
property, including patents, trademarks,
or copyrights, so owned, or (c) Has
imposed or enforced taxes or other
exactions, restrictive maintenance or
operational conditions, or other
measures with respect to property,
including patents, trademarks, or
copyrights, so owned, the effect of
which is to nationalize, expropriate, or
otherwise seize ownership or control of
such property, unless the President
determines that—
(i) Prompt, adequate, and effective
compensation has been or is being made
to the citizen, corporation, partnership,
or association referred to above, (ii)
Good faith negotiations to provide
prompt, adequate, and effective
compensation under the applicable
provisions of international law are in
progress, or the country is otherwise
taking steps to discharge its obligations
under international law with respect to
such citizen, corporation, partnership,
or association, or (iii) A dispute
involving such citizen, corporation,
partnership, or association over
compensation for such a seizure has
been submitted to arbitration under the
provisions of the Convention for the
Settlement of Investment Disputes, or in
another mutually agreed upon forum,
and the President promptly furnishes a
copy of such determination to the
Senate and House of Representatives.
5. Such country fails to act in good
faith in recognizing as binding or in
enforcing arbitral awards in favor of
United States citizens or a corporation,
partnership, or association which is 50
percent or more beneficially owned by
United States citizens, which have been
made by arbitrators appointed for each
case or by permanent arbitral bodies to
which the parties involved have
submitted their dispute.
6. Such country aids or abets, by
granting sanctuary from prosecution to,
any individual or group which has
committed an act of international
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18:56 Dec 28, 2005
Jkt 208001
terrorism or the Secretary of State makes
a determination with respect to such
country under section 6(j)(1)(A) of the
Export Administration Act of 1979 (50
U.S.C. Appx. section 2405(j)(1)(A)) or
such country has not taken steps to
support the efforts of the United States
to combat terrorism.
7. Such country has not taken or is
not taking steps to afford internationally
recognized worker rights to workers in
the country (including any designated
zone in that country).
8. Such country has not implemented
its commitments to eliminate the worst
forms of child labor.
Section 502(c) provides that, in
determining whether to designate any
country as a GSP beneficiary developing
country, the President shall take into
account:
1. An expression by such country of
its desire to be so designated;
2. The level of economic development
of such country, including its per capita
gross national product, the living
standards of its inhabitants, and any
other economic factors which the
President deems appropriate;
3. Whether or not other major
developed countries are extending
generalized preferential tariff treatment
to such country;
4. The extent to which such country
has assured the United States that it will
provide equitable and reasonable access
to the markets and basic commodity
resources of such country and the extent
to which such country has assured the
United States that it will refrain from
engaging in unreasonable export
practices;
5. The extent to which such country
is providing adequate and effective
protection of intellectual property
rights;
6. The extent to which such country
has taken action to—
(a) Reduce trade distorting investment
practices and policies (including export
performance requirements); and (b)
Reduce or eliminate barriers to trade in
services; and
7. Whether or not such country has
taken or is taking steps to afford to
workers in that country (including any
designated zone in that country)
internationally recognized worker
rights. Note that the Trade Act of 2002
amended paragraph (D) of the definition
of the term ‘‘internationally recognized
worker rights,’’ which now includes: (A)
The right of association; (B) the right to
organize and bargain collectively; (C) a
prohibition on the use of any form of
forced or compulsory labor; (D) a
minimum age for the employment of
children and a prohibition on the worst
forms of child labor as defined in
PO 00000
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paragraph (6) of section 507(4) of the
Act; and (E) acceptable conditions of
work with respect to minimum wages,
hours of work, and occupational safety
and health.
To designate a country as a leastdeveloped beneficiary developing
country, the President must consider the
criteria in section 502(c), as well as the
criteria in section 501 of the Act.
Section 501 provides that, in extending
preferences under the GSP, the
President shall have due regard for:
1. The effect such action will have on
furthering the economic development of
developing countries through the
expansion of their exports.
2. The extent to which other major
developed countries are undertaking a
comparable effort to assist developing
countries by granting generalized
preferences with respect to imports of
products of such countries.
3. The anticipated impact of such
action on United States producers of
like or directly competitive products.
4. The extent of the beneficiary
developing country’s competitiveness
with respect to eligible articles.
Requirements for Submissions
All submissions must conform to the
GSP regulations set forth at 15 CFR Part
2007, except as modified below.
Comments must be submitted, in
English, to the Chairman of the GSP
Subcommittee of the Trade Policy Staff
Committee (TPSC) as soon as possible,
but not later than 5 p.m., January 13,
2006.
In order to facilitate prompt
consideration of submissions, USTR
requires electronic e-mail submissions
in response to this notice. Handdelivered submissions will not be
accepted. Submissions should be singlecopy transmissions in English with the
total submission not to exceed 50 singlespaced standard letter-size pages. The email transmission should use the
following subject line: ‘‘Liberia GSP
Eligibility Review’’. Documents must be
submitted as MSWord (‘‘.doc’’),
WordPerfect (‘‘.wpd’’), or text (‘‘.txt’’)
files. Documents submitted as electronic
image files or containing imbedded
images (for example, ‘‘.jpg’’, ‘‘.pdf’’,
‘‘.bmp’’, or ‘‘.gif’’) will not be accepted.
Spreadsheets submitted as supporting
documentation are acceptable as
Quattro Pro or Excel files, pre-formatted
for printing only on 81⁄2 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
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Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 249 / Thursday, December 29, 2005 / Notices
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 nonconfidential 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 email; 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 email address. The e-mail address for
these submissions is
FR0441@USTR.GOV. 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
the GSP Subcommittee 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.
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18:56 Dec 28, 2005
Jkt 208001
to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, by
calling 202–395–6186.
Marideth J. Sandler,
Executive Director for the GSP Program;
Chairman, GSP Subcommittee of the Trade
Policy Staff Committee.
[FR Doc. E5–8021 Filed 12–28–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190–W6–P
OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES
TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
Generalized System of Preferences
(GSP): Import Statistics Relating to
Competitive Need Limitations;
Invitation for Public Comment on
Possible De Minimis Waivers and
Redesignations
Office of the United States
Trade Representative.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: This notice is to inform the
public of the availability of interim 2005
import statistics relating to competitive
need limitations (CNLs) under the
Generalized System of Preferences
(GSP) program. Public comments are
invited by 5 p.m., January 27, 2006,
regarding possible de minimis CNL
waivers with respect to particular
articles, and possible redesignations
under the GSP program of articles
currently not eligible for GSP benefits
because they previously exceeded the
CNLs.
The
GSP Subcommittee of the Trade Policy
Staff Committee, Office of the United
States Trade Representative, 1724 F
Street, NW., Room F–220, Washington,
DC 20508. The telephone number is
(202) 395–6971.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
I. Competitive Need Limitations
The GSP program provides for the
duty-free importation of designated
articles when imported from designated
beneficiary developing countries
(BDCs). The GSP program is authorized
by title V of the Trade Act of 1974 (19
U.S.C. 2461, et seq.), as amended (the
‘‘1974 Act’’), and is implemented in
accordance with Executive Order 11888
of November 24, 1975, as modified by
subsequent Executive Orders and
Presidential Proclamations.
Section 503(c)(2)(A) of the 1974 Act
sets out the two competitive need
limitations (CNLs). When the President
determines that a BDC exported to the
United States during a calendar year
either (1) a quantity of a GSP-eligible
article having a value in excess of the
applicable amount for that year ($120
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77239
million for 2005), or (2) a quantity of a
GSP-eligible article having a value equal
to or greater than 50 percent of the value
of total U.S. imports of the article from
all countries (the ‘‘50 percent CNL’’), the
President must terminate GSP duty-free
treatment for that article from that BDC
by no later than July 1 of the next
calendar year.
Under section 503(c)(2)(F) of the 1974
Act, the President may waive the 50
percent CNL with respect to an eligible
article imported from a BDC if the value
of total imports of that article from all
countries during the calendar year did
not exceed the applicable de minimis
amount for that year ($17.5 million for
2005).
Under section 503(c)(2)(C) of the 1974
Act, if imports of an eligible article from
a BDC ceased to receive duty-free
treatment due to exceeding a CNL in a
prior year, the President may
redesignate such an article for duty-free
treatment if imports in the most recently
completed calendar year did not exceed
the CNLs.
II. Implementation of Competitive Need
Limitations, Waivers, and
Redesignations
Exclusions from GSP duty-free
treatment where CNLs have been
exceeded will be effective July 1, 2006,
unless previously granted a waiver by
the President. CNL exclusions, as well
as decisions with respect to de minimis
waivers and redesignations, will be
based on full 2005 calendar year import
statistics.
III. Interim 2005 Import Statistics
In order to provide advance notice of
articles that may exceed the CNLs for
2005, and to afford an opportunity for
comment regarding potential de
minimis waivers and redesignations,
‘‘Interim 2005 Import Statistics Relating
to Competitive Need Limitations’’ that
cover the first 10 months of 2005 can be
viewed at: https://www.ustr.gov/
Trade_Development/
Preference_Programs/GSP/
Interim_2005_
Import_Statistics_Relating_
to_Competitive_Need_Limitations.html.
If unable to access these statistics on
the USTR Web site, contact the GSP
Subcommittee of the Trade Policy Staff
Committee, which will make alternate
arrangements to provide the lists.
Full calendar year 2005 data for
individual tariff subheadings will be
available in mid-February on the Web
site of the U.S. International Trade
Commission at https://dataweb.usitc.
gov/.
The four lists comprising the ‘‘Interim
2005 Import Statistics Relating to
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 249 (Thursday, December 29, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 77237-77239]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-8021]
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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
Generalized System of Preferences (GSP): Initiation of a Review
To Consider the Designation of Liberia as a Least Developed Beneficiary
Developing Country Under the GSP
AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.
ACTION: Notice and solicitation of public comment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This notice announces the initiation of a review to consider
the designation of Liberia as a least developed beneficiary developing
country under the GSP program and solicits public comment relating to
the designation criteria. Comments are due January 13, 2006, in
accordance with the requirements for submissions, explained below.
ADDRESSES: Submit comments by electronic mail (e-mail) to:
FR0441@ustr.gov. For assistance or if unable to submit comments by e-
mail, contact the GSP Subcommittee, Office of the United States Trade
Representative; USTR Annex, Room F-220; 1724 F Street, NW., Washington,
DC 20508 (Tel. 202-395-6971).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact the GSP Subcommittee, Office
of the United States Trade Representative; USTR Annex, Room F-220; 1724
F Street, NW., Washington, DC 20508 (Telephone: 202-395-6971,
Facsimile: 202-395-9481).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Liberia's GSP eligibility was suspended,
effective May 1, 1990, because, following a review and recommendation
by the Trade Policy Staff Committee in 1989, it was determined that it
had not taken and was not taking steps to afford internationally
recognized worker rights to workers in Liberia. The review was
initiated in response to a petition filed by the Lawyers Committee for
Human Rights in 1988. The GSP Subcommittee of the Trade Policy Staff
Committee (TPSC) has initiated a review in order to make a
recommendation to the President as to whether Liberia meets the
eligibility criteria of the GSP statute, as set out below. After
considering the eligibility criteria, the President is authorized to
designate Liberia as a least developed beneficiary developing country
for purposes of the GSP.
Interested parties are invited to submit comments regarding the
eligibility of Liberia for designation as a least developed beneficiary
developing country. Documents should be submitted in accordance with
the below instructions to be considered in this review.
Eligibility Criteria
The trade benefits of the GSP program are available to any country
that the President designates as a GSP ``beneficiary developing
country.'' Additional trade benefits under the GSP are available to any
country that the President designates as a GSP ``least-developed
beneficiary developing country.'' In designating countries as GSP
beneficiary developing countries, the President must consider the
criteria in sections 502(b)(2) and 502(c) of the Trade Act of 1974, as
amended (19 U.S.C. 2462(b)(2), 2462(c)) (``the Act''). Section
502(b)(2) provides that a country is ineligible for designation if:
1. Such country is a Communist country, unless--
(a) The products of such country receive nondiscriminatory
treatment, (b) Such country is a WTO Member (as such term is defined in
section 2(10) of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act) (19 U.S.C. 3501(10))
and a member of the International Monetary Fund, and (c) Such country
is not dominated or controlled by international communism.
2. Such country is a party to an arrangement of countries and
participates in any action pursuant to such arrangement, the effect of
which is--
(a) To withhold supplies of vital commodity resources from
international trade or to raise the price of such commodities to an
unreasonable level, and (b) To cause serious disruption of the world
economy.
3. Such country affords preferential treatment to the products of a
developed country, other than the United States, which has, or is
likely to have, a
[[Page 77238]]
significant adverse effect on United States commerce.
4. Such country--
(a) Has nationalized, expropriated, or otherwise seized ownership
or control of property, including patents, trademarks, or copyrights,
owned by a United States citizen or by a corporation, partnership, or
association which is 50 percent or more beneficially owned by United
States citizens, (b) Has taken steps to repudiate or nullify an
existing contract or agreement with a United States citizen or a
corporation, partnership, or association which is 50 percent or more
beneficially owned by United States citizens, the effect of which is to
nationalize, expropriate, or otherwise seize ownership or control of
property, including patents, trademarks, or copyrights, so owned, or
(c) Has imposed or enforced taxes or other exactions, restrictive
maintenance or operational conditions, or other measures with respect
to property, including patents, trademarks, or copyrights, so owned,
the effect of which is to nationalize, expropriate, or otherwise seize
ownership or control of such property, unless the President determines
that--
(i) Prompt, adequate, and effective compensation has been or is
being made to the citizen, corporation, partnership, or association
referred to above, (ii) Good faith negotiations to provide prompt,
adequate, and effective compensation under the applicable provisions of
international law are in progress, or the country is otherwise taking
steps to discharge its obligations under international law with respect
to such citizen, corporation, partnership, or association, or (iii) A
dispute involving such citizen, corporation, partnership, or
association over compensation for such a seizure has been submitted to
arbitration under the provisions of the Convention for the Settlement
of Investment Disputes, or in another mutually agreed upon forum, and
the President promptly furnishes a copy of such determination to the
Senate and House of Representatives.
5. Such country fails to act in good faith in recognizing as
binding or in enforcing arbitral awards in favor of United States
citizens or a corporation, partnership, or association which is 50
percent or more beneficially owned by United States citizens, which
have been made by arbitrators appointed for each case or by permanent
arbitral bodies to which the parties involved have submitted their
dispute.
6. Such country aids or abets, by granting sanctuary from
prosecution to, any individual or group which has committed an act of
international terrorism or the Secretary of State makes a determination
with respect to such country under section 6(j)(1)(A) of the Export
Administration Act of 1979 (50 U.S.C. Appx. section 2405(j)(1)(A)) or
such country has not taken steps to support the efforts of the United
States to combat terrorism.
7. Such country has not taken or is not taking steps to afford
internationally recognized worker rights to workers in the country
(including any designated zone in that country).
8. Such country has not implemented its commitments to eliminate
the worst forms of child labor.
Section 502(c) provides that, in determining whether to designate
any country as a GSP beneficiary developing country, the President
shall take into account:
1. An expression by such country of its desire to be so designated;
2. The level of economic development of such country, including its
per capita gross national product, the living standards of its
inhabitants, and any other economic factors which the President deems
appropriate;
3. Whether or not other major developed countries are extending
generalized preferential tariff treatment to such country;
4. The extent to which such country has assured the United States
that it will provide equitable and reasonable access to the markets and
basic commodity resources of such country and the extent to which such
country has assured the United States that it will refrain from
engaging in unreasonable export practices;
5. The extent to which such country is providing adequate and
effective protection of intellectual property rights;
6. The extent to which such country has taken action to--
(a) Reduce trade distorting investment practices and policies
(including export performance requirements); and (b) Reduce or
eliminate barriers to trade in services; and
7. Whether or not such country has taken or is taking steps to
afford to workers in that country (including any designated zone in
that country) internationally recognized worker rights. Note that the
Trade Act of 2002 amended paragraph (D) of the definition of the term
``internationally recognized worker rights,'' which now includes: (A)
The right of association; (B) the right to organize and bargain
collectively; (C) a prohibition on the use of any form of forced or
compulsory labor; (D) a minimum age for the employment of children and
a prohibition on the worst forms of child labor as defined in paragraph
(6) of section 507(4) of the Act; and (E) acceptable conditions of work
with respect to minimum wages, hours of work, and occupational safety
and health.
To designate a country as a least-developed beneficiary developing
country, the President must consider the criteria in section 502(c), as
well as the criteria in section 501 of the Act. Section 501 provides
that, in extending preferences under the GSP, the President shall have
due regard for:
1. The effect such action will have on furthering the economic
development of developing countries through the expansion of their
exports.
2. The extent to which other major developed countries are
undertaking a comparable effort to assist developing countries by
granting generalized preferences with respect to imports of products of
such countries.
3. The anticipated impact of such action on United States producers
of like or directly competitive products.
4. The extent of the beneficiary developing country's
competitiveness with respect to eligible articles.
Requirements for Submissions
All submissions must conform to the GSP regulations set forth at 15
CFR Part 2007, except as modified below. Comments must be submitted, in
English, to the Chairman of the GSP Subcommittee of the Trade Policy
Staff Committee (TPSC) as soon as possible, but not later than 5 p.m.,
January 13, 2006.
In order to facilitate prompt consideration 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 50 single-spaced standard letter-size pages. The e-mail
transmission should use the following subject line: ``Liberia GSP
Eligibility Review''. Documents must be submitted as MSWord (``.doc''),
WordPerfect (``.wpd''), or text (``.txt'') files. Documents submitted
as electronic image files or containing imbedded images (for example,
``.jpg'', ``.pdf'', ``.bmp'', or ``.gif'') will not be accepted.
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
[[Page 77239]]
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 e-mail address for these submissions is FR0441@USTR.GOV.
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 the GSP Subcommittee 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.
Marideth J. Sandler,
Executive Director for the GSP Program; Chairman, GSP Subcommittee of
the Trade Policy Staff Committee.
[FR Doc. E5-8021 Filed 12-28-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-W6-P
