Department of State December 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Delegates from the United States and Mexican governments, the states of Texas and New Mexico, and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas will participate in a regional meeting of the U.S.-Mexico Binational Bridges and Border Crossings Group on Wednesday, January 25, 2017 in Fort Worth, Texas. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss operational matters involving existing and proposed international bridges and border crossings and their related infrastructure and to exchange technical information as well as views on policy. This meeting will include a public session on Wednesday, January 25, 2017, from 8:45 a.m. until 10:45 a.m. This session will allow proponents of proposed bridges and border crossings and related projects to make presentations to the delegations and members of the public.

Notice is hereby given of the following determinations: Pursuant to the authority vested in me by the Act of October 19, 1965 (79 Stat. 985; 22 U.S.C. 2459), E.O. 12047 of March 27, 1978, the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998 (112 Stat. 2681, et seq.; 22 U.S.C. 6501 note, et seq.), Delegation of Authority No. 234 of October 1, 1999, Delegation of Authority No. 236-3 of August 28, 2000 (and, as appropriate, Delegation of Authority No. 257 of April 15, 2003), I hereby determine that the objects to be included in the exhibition ``Lygia Pape,'' imported from abroad for temporary exhibition within the United States, are of cultural significance. The objects are imported pursuant to loan agreements with the foreign owners or custodians. I also determine that the exhibition or display of the exhibit objects at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York, from on or about March 21, 2017, until on or about July 23, 2017, and at possible additional exhibitions or venues yet to be determined, is in the national interest. I have ordered that Public Notice of these Determinations be published in the Federal Register.

Notice is hereby given of the following determinations: Pursuant to the authority vested in me by the Act of October 19, 1965 (79 Stat. 985; 22 U.S.C. 2459), E.O. 12047 of March 27, 1978, the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998 (112 Stat. 2681, et seq.; 22 U.S.C. 6501 note, et seq.), Delegation of Authority No. 234 of October 1, 1999, Delegation of Authority No. 236-3 of August 28, 2000 (and, as appropriate, Delegation of Authority No. 257 of April 15, 2003), I hereby determine that the objects to be included in the exhibition ``Wild Noise/Ruido Salvaje: Artworks from El Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Havana, Cuba,'' imported from abroad for temporary exhibition within the United States, are of cultural significance. The objects are imported pursuant to a loan agreement with the foreign owner or custodian. I also determine that the exhibition or display of the exhibit objects at The Bronx Museum of the Arts, New York, New York, from on or about January 28, 2017, until on or about April 30, 2017, and at possible additional exhibitions or venues yet to be determined, is in the national interest. I have ordered that Public Notice of these Determinations be published in the Federal Register.

A decision has been made, pursuant to the Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Act, to modify nonproliferation measures pursuant to this Act on a Russian foreign person.

Notice is hereby given of the following determinations: Pursuant to the authority vested in me by the Act of October 19, 1965 (79 Stat. 985; 22 U.S.C. 2459), E.O. 12047 of March 27, 1978, the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998 (112 Stat. 2681, et seq.; 22 U.S.C. 6501 note, et seq.), Delegation of Authority No. 234 of October 1, 1999, Delegation of Authority No. 236-3 of August 28, 2000 (and, as appropriate, Delegation of Authority No. 257 of April 15, 2003), I hereby determine that the objects to be included in the exhibition ``Shakespeare in Prague: Imagining the Bard in the Heart of Europe,'' imported from abroad for temporary exhibition within the United States, are of cultural significance. The objects are imported pursuant to a loan agreement with the foreign owner or custodian. I also determine that the exhibition or display of the exhibit objects at the Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, Ohio, from on or about February 10, 2017, until on or about May 21, 2017, at the University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, Texas, from on or about July 10, 2017, until on or about September 30, 2017, and at possible additional exhibitions or venues yet to be determined, is in the national interest. I have ordered that Public Notice of these Determinations be published in the Federal Register.

The Secretary of State's designation of ``countries of particular concern'' for religious freedom violations. Pursuant to Section 408(a) of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (Pub. L. 105-292), as amended (the Act), notice is hereby given that, on October 31, 2016, the Secretary of State, under authority delegated by the President, has designated each of the following as a ``country of particular concern'' (CPC) under section 402(b) of the Act, for having engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom: Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The Secretary simultaneously designated the following Presidential Actions for these CPCs: For Burma, the existing ongoing restrictions referenced in 22 CFR 126.1, pursuant to section 402(c)(5) of the Act; For China, the existing ongoing restriction on exports to China of crime control and detection instruments and equipment, under the Foreign Relations Authorization Act of 1990 and 1991 (Pub. L. 101-246), pursuant to section 402(c)(5) of the Act; For Eritrea, the existing ongoing restrictions referenced in 22 CFR 126.1, pursuant to section 402(c)(5) of the Act; For Iran, the existing ongoing travel restrictions in section 221(c) of the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012 (TRA) for individuals identified under section 221(a)(1)(C) of the TRA in connection with the commission of serious human rights abuses, pursuant to section 402(c)(5) of the Act; For the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the existing ongoing restrictions to which the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is subject, pursuant to sections 402 and 409 of the Trade Act of 1974 (the Jackson-Vanik Amendment), pursuant to section 402(c)(5) of the Act; For Saudi Arabia, a waiver as required in the ``important national interest of the United States,'' pursuant to section 407 of the Act; For Sudan, the restriction in the annual Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act on making certain appropriated funds available for assistance to the Government of Sudan, currently set forth in section 7042(j) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2015 (Div. K, Pub. L. 114-113), and any provision of law that is the same or substantially the same as this provision, pursuant to section 402(c)(5) of the Act; For Tajikistan, a waiver as required in the ``important national interest of the United States,'' pursuant to section 407 of the Act; For Turkmenistan, a waiver as required in the ``important national interest of the United States,'' pursuant to section 407 of the Act; For Uzbekistan, a waiver as required in the ``important national interest of the United States,'' pursuant to section 407 of the Act. For Further Information Contact: Benjamin W. Medina, Office of International Religious Freedom, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, U.S. Department of State, (Phone: (202) 647 3865 or Email: MedinaBW@state.gov).