Notice of Request for Public Comments on the Review and Renegotiation of the United States-Israel Agreement on Trade in Agricultural Products, 58688-58689 [E7-20374]

Download as PDF 58688 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 199 / Tuesday, October 16, 2007 / Notices Week of October 22, 2007—Tentative Wednesday, October 24, 2007— 9:25 a.m. Affirmation Session (Public Meeting) (Tentative) a. Final Rule—Clarification Of NRC Civil Penalty Authority Over Contractors And Subcontractors Who Discriminate Against Employees For Engaging In Protected Activities (RIN 3150– AH49) (Tentative) b. Pa’ina Hawaii, LLC (Material License Application) (Tentative) This meeting will be webcast live at the Web address—https://www.nrc.gov. 9:30 a.m. Periodic Briefing on New Reactor Issues, Part 1 (Public Meeting) (Contact: Roger Rihm, 301–415–7807) This meeting will be webcast live at the Web address—https://www.nrc.gov. 1:30 p.m. Periodic Briefing on New Reactor Issues, Part 2 (Public Meeting) (Contact: Roger Rihm, 301–415–7807) This meeting will be webcast live at the Web address—https://www.nrc.gov. There are no meetings scheduled for the Week of October 29, 2007. 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If you need a reasonable accommodation to 04:12 Oct 16, 2007 Jkt 214001 Dated: October 11, 2007. R. Michelle Schroll, Office of the Secretary. [FR Doc. 07–5119 Filed 10–12–07; 12:27 pm] BILLING CODE 7590–01–P Week of October 29, 2007—Tentative VerDate Aug<31>2005 participate in these public meetings, or need this meeting notice or the transcript or other information from the public meetings in another format (e.g. braille, large print), please notify the NRC’s Disability Program Coordinator, Rohn Brown, at 301–492–2279, TDD: 301–415–2100, or by e-mail at REB3@nrc.gov. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. * * * * * This notice is distributed by mail to several hundred subscribers; if you no longer wish to receive it, or would like to be added to the distribution, please contact the Office of the Secretary, Washington, DC 20555 (301–415–1969). In addition, distribution of this meeting notice over the Internet system is available. If you are interested in receiving this Commission meeting schedule electronically, please send an electronic message to dkw@nrc.gov. OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE Notice of Request for Public Comments on the Review and Renegotiation of the United StatesIsrael Agreement on Trade in Agricultural Products Office of the United States Trade Representative. ACTION: Notice and Request for Comments. AGENCY: SUMMARY: The Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) is soliciting written comments on U.S. objectives for upcoming negotiations on the renewal of the United States-Israel Agreement on Trade in Agricultural Products (ATAP). Specifically, the TPSC is seeking comments on general negotiating objectives and product-specific requests. DATES: Public comments are due by Noon, Wednesday, November 14, 2007. ADDRESSES: Submissions by electronic mail should be submitted to FR0802ustr.eop.gov. Submissions by facsimile: Gloria Blue, Executive Secretary, Trade Policy Staff Committee, at (202) 395–6143. The public is strongly encouraged to submit documents electronically rather than by facsimile. (See requirements for submissions below.) FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For procedural questions concerning public PO 00000 Frm 00058 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 comments, contact Gloria Blue, Executive Secretary, TPSC, Office of the USTR, 1724 F Street, NW., Washington, DC 20508 (202) 395–3475. All other questions regarding the negotiations should be addressed to Andrew Stephens, Director for Bilateral Agricultural Affairs, Office of the USTR, (202) 395–9637. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 1985 Agreement on the Establishment of a Free Trade Area between the Government of Israel and the Government of the United States of America (Israel FTA) was intended to apply, in full, to trade in all products between the two countries. However, the United States and Israel held differing interpretations as to the meaning of certain rights and obligations related to agricultural products under the Israel FTA. In the interest of achieving practical improvements in agricultural trade between the two countries, the United States and Israel in 1996 signed the Agreement on Trade in Agricultural Products (ATAP). The 1996 ATAP was an adjunct to the Israel FTA. The agreement expired and then was subsequently renewed in 2004 for a period ending on December 31, 2008. According to the ATAP, U.S. agricultural products exported to Israel are divided into three categories: (1) Products which are exempt from tariffs, (2) products which are exempt from tariffs within certain quantities (tariffrate quotas), and (3) products which are imported at a preferential tariff rate. Following the implementation of the 1985 Israel FTA, most Israeli agricultural products exported to the United States had duty-free access to the U.S. market. However, certain Israeli products remained subject to tariff-rate quotas. Therefore, duty-free quota allocations, in excess of U.S. WTO commitments, are the principle concessions granted to Israeli products as a result of the ATAP. The United States and Israel have committed to initiate a review of the operation of the ATAP and to seek further improvements. In preparation, USTR is soliciting detailed written comments, including data and arguments, addressing: (a) General and product-specific negotiating objectives for the ATAP; (b) Economic costs and benefits to U.S. producers and exporters related to the reduction or removal of current restrictions to the Israeli agricultural market; (c) Product-specific export interests or barriers (described by Harmonized Tariff System numbers); E:\FR\FM\16OCN1.SGM 16OCN1 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 199 / Tuesday, October 16, 2007 / Notices mmaher on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES (d) Detailed accounts of particular trade-restrictive measures that should be addressed in the negotiations; and, (e) Other relevant issues, including potential environmental implications of the proposed agreement. Written Comments In order to facilitate prompt processing of submissions, the Office of the United States Trade Representative strongly urges and prefers electronic (email) submissions in response to this notice. In the event than an e-mail submission is impossible, submissions should be made by facsimile. Interested persons may submit written comments by Noon, Wednesday, November 14, 2007. All written comments must state clearly the position taken, describe with particularity the supporting rationale, and be in English. The first page of written comments must specify the subject matter, including, as applicable, the product(s) (with HTSUS numbers). Persons making submissions by email should use the following subject line: ‘‘United States-Israel ATAP Written Comments.’’ Documents should be submitted as Adobe PDF, MSWord files or Word Perfect. Supporting documentation submitted as spreadsheets are acceptable as Quattro Pro or Excel. For any document containing business confidential information submitted electronically, 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 characters ‘‘P–’’. The ‘‘P–’’ or ‘‘BC– ’’ should be followed by the name of the submitter. Persons who make submissions by e-mail should not provide separate cover letters; information that might appear in a cover letter should be included in the submission itself. To the extent possible, any attachments to the submission should be included in the same file as the submission itself, and not as separate files. Written comments will be placed in a file open to public inspection pursuant to 15 CFR 2003.5, except business confidential information submitted in accordance with 15 CFR 2003.6. Business confidential information submitted in accordance with 15 CFR 2003.6 must be clearly marked ‘‘Business Confidential’’ at the top of each page, including any cover letter or cover page, and must be accompanied by a nonconfidential summary of the confidential information. All public documents and nonconfidential summaries shall be available for public inspection in the USTR Reading Room. VerDate Aug<31>2005 04:12 Oct 16, 2007 Jkt 214001 The USTR Reading Room is open to the public, by appointment only, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. An appointment to review the file must be scheduled at least 48 hours in advance and may be made by calling (202) 395– 6186. Carmen Suro-Bredie, Chair, Trade Policy Staff Committee. [FR Doc. E7–20374 Filed 10–15–07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3190–W8–P SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION [Release No. 34–56629; File No. SR–Amex– 2007–87] Self-Regulatory Organizations; American Stock Exchange LLC; Notice of Filing and Order Granting Accelerated Approval of Proposed Rule Change, as Modified by Amendment No. 1, To Amend Section 107 of the Amex Company Guide To Provide an Exception to the Initial Minimum Public Distribution Listing Requirement October 9, 2007. Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1)1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (‘‘Act’’),2 and Rule 19b–4 thereunder,3 notice is hereby given that on August 9, 2007, American Stock Exchange LLC (‘‘Amex’’ or ‘‘Exchange’’) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (‘‘Commission’’) the proposed rule changes as described in Items I and II below, which items have been prepared by the Exchange. On October 4, 2007, the Exchange submitted Amendment No. 1 to the proposed rule change. The Commission is publishing this notice to solicit comments on the proposed rule change, as amended, from interested persons, and is granting accelerated approval to the proposed rule change. I. Self-Regulatory Organization’s Statement of the Terms of Substance of the Proposed Rule Change The Exchange proposes to amend Sections 107A, 107C, 107D, 107E, and 107F of the Amex Company Guide (‘‘Company Guide’’) to provide an exception to the initial minimum public distribution listing requirement of one million trading units for certain equity linked term notes (‘‘Equity-Linked Notes’’), index-linked exchangeable notes (‘‘Index-Linked Exchangeable Notes’’), index-linked securities 1 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1). U.S.C. 78a. 3 17 CFR 240.19b–4. Frm 00059 Fmt 4703 (‘‘Index-Linked Securities’’), commodity-linked securities (‘‘Commodity-Linked Securities’’), and currency-linked securities (‘‘CurrencyLinked Securities’’) (collectively, ‘‘Section 107 Securities’’). The text of the proposed rule change is available at the Exchange, the Commission’s Public Reference Room, and https://www.amex.com. II. Self-Regulatory Organization’s Statement of the Purpose of, and Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change In its filing with the Commission, the Exchange included statements concerning the purpose of, and basis for, the proposed rule change and discussed any comments it received on the proposed rule change. The text of these statements may be examined at the places specified in Item III below. The Amex has prepared summaries, set forth in Sections A, B and C below, of the most significant aspects of such statements. A. Self-Regulatory Organization’s Statement of the Purpose of, and Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change 1. Purpose The Exchange states that the purpose of this proposal is to permit the listing of certain Section 107 Securities even though the minimum public distribution requirement of one million trading units has not been met at the time of listing. This exception would be conditioned on whether the particular issue provides for the redemption of securities at the option of the holders on at least a weekly basis. In addition, the Exchange proposes to revise the text of the ‘‘General Criteria’’ in each of Sections 107C(a), 107D(a), 107E(a) and 107F(a) to eliminate repetitive rule text that is incorporated by reference to Section 107A of the Company Guide. Pursuant to Section 107 of the Amex Company Guide, the Exchange may approve for listing and trading securities which cannot be readily categorized under the listing criteria for common and preferred securities, bonds, debentures, or warrants.4 The general listing criteria relating to issuers and the issuance are set forth in Section 107A of the Company Guide. The Exchange in connection with a potential listing of Section 107 Securities evaluates each security against the following criteria in Section 107A: (1) A market value of at least $4 million; and (2) a minimum 4 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 27753 (March 1, 1990), 55 FR 8626 (March 8, 1990) (SR– Amex–89–29). 2 15 PO 00000 58689 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\16OCN1.SGM 16OCN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 199 (Tuesday, October 16, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58688-58689]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-20374]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


Notice of Request for Public Comments on the Review and 
Renegotiation of the United States-Israel Agreement on Trade in 
Agricultural Products

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice and Request for Comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) is soliciting written 
comments on U.S. objectives for upcoming negotiations on the renewal of 
the United States-Israel Agreement on Trade in Agricultural Products 
(ATAP). Specifically, the TPSC is seeking comments on general 
negotiating objectives and product-specific requests.

DATES: Public comments are due by Noon, Wednesday, November 14, 2007.

ADDRESSES: Submissions by electronic mail should be submitted to 
FR0802ustr.eop.gov. Submissions by facsimile: Gloria Blue, Executive 
Secretary, Trade Policy Staff Committee, at (202) 395-6143. The public 
is strongly encouraged to submit documents electronically rather than 
by facsimile. (See requirements for submissions below.)

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For procedural questions concerning 
public comments, contact Gloria Blue, Executive Secretary, TPSC, Office 
of the USTR, 1724 F Street, NW., Washington, DC 20508 (202) 395-3475. 
All other questions regarding the negotiations should be addressed to 
Andrew Stephens, Director for Bilateral Agricultural Affairs, Office of 
the USTR, (202) 395-9637.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 1985 Agreement on the Establishment of a 
Free Trade Area between the Government of Israel and the Government of 
the United States of America (Israel FTA) was intended to apply, in 
full, to trade in all products between the two countries. However, the 
United States and Israel held differing interpretations as to the 
meaning of certain rights and obligations related to agricultural 
products under the Israel FTA. In the interest of achieving practical 
improvements in agricultural trade between the two countries, the 
United States and Israel in 1996 signed the Agreement on Trade in 
Agricultural Products (ATAP). The 1996 ATAP was an adjunct to the 
Israel FTA. The agreement expired and then was subsequently renewed in 
2004 for a period ending on December 31, 2008.
    According to the ATAP, U.S. agricultural products exported to 
Israel are divided into three categories: (1) Products which are exempt 
from tariffs, (2) products which are exempt from tariffs within certain 
quantities (tariff-rate quotas), and (3) products which are imported at 
a preferential tariff rate. Following the implementation of the 1985 
Israel FTA, most Israeli agricultural products exported to the United 
States had duty-free access to the U.S. market. However, certain 
Israeli products remained subject to tariff-rate quotas. Therefore, 
duty-free quota allocations, in excess of U.S. WTO commitments, are the 
principle concessions granted to Israeli products as a result of the 
ATAP.
    The United States and Israel have committed to initiate a review of 
the operation of the ATAP and to seek further improvements. In 
preparation, USTR is soliciting detailed written comments, including 
data and arguments, addressing:
    (a) General and product-specific negotiating objectives for the 
ATAP;
    (b) Economic costs and benefits to U.S. producers and exporters 
related to the reduction or removal of current restrictions to the 
Israeli agricultural market;
    (c) Product-specific export interests or barriers (described by 
Harmonized Tariff System numbers);

[[Page 58689]]

    (d) Detailed accounts of particular trade-restrictive measures that 
should be addressed in the negotiations; and,
    (e) Other relevant issues, including potential environmental 
implications of the proposed agreement.

Written Comments

    In order to facilitate prompt processing of submissions, the Office 
of the United States Trade Representative strongly urges and prefers 
electronic (e-mail) submissions in response to this notice. In the 
event than an e-mail submission is impossible, submissions should be 
made by facsimile.
    Interested persons may submit written comments by Noon, Wednesday, 
November 14, 2007. All written comments must state clearly the position 
taken, describe with particularity the supporting rationale, and be in 
English. The first page of written comments must specify the subject 
matter, including, as applicable, the product(s) (with HTSUS numbers).
    Persons making submissions by e-mail should use the following 
subject line: ``United States-Israel ATAP Written Comments.'' Documents 
should be submitted as Adobe PDF, MSWord files or Word Perfect. 
Supporting documentation submitted as spreadsheets are acceptable as 
Quattro Pro or Excel. For any document containing business confidential 
information submitted electronically, 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 characters ``P-
''. The ``P-'' or ``BC-'' should be followed by the name of the 
submitter. Persons who make submissions by e-mail should not provide 
separate cover letters; information that might appear in a cover letter 
should be included in the submission itself. To the extent possible, 
any attachments to the submission should be included in the same file 
as the submission itself, and not as separate files.
    Written comments will be placed in a file open to public inspection 
pursuant to 15 CFR 2003.5, except business confidential information 
submitted in accordance with 15 CFR 2003.6. Business confidential 
information submitted in accordance with 15 CFR 2003.6 must be clearly 
marked ``Business Confidential'' at the top of each page, including any 
cover letter or cover page, and must be accompanied by a 
nonconfidential summary of the confidential information. All public 
documents and nonconfidential summaries shall be available for public 
inspection in the USTR Reading Room. The USTR Reading Room is open to 
the public, by appointment only, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 p.m. to 
4 p.m., Monday through Friday. An appointment to review the file must 
be scheduled at least 48 hours in advance and may be made by calling 
(202) 395-6186.

Carmen Suro-Bredie,
Chair, Trade Policy Staff Committee.
 [FR Doc. E7-20374 Filed 10-15-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-W8-P
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