[Pharm-policy] USG Request for comments on FTAA (Free Trade in the Americas) draft agreement

[James Love]

[Federal Register: July 12, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 134)]

[Notices]               
[Page 36614-36615]
>From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr12jy01-91]                         

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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE

 
Trade Policy Staff Committee: Request for Public Comments on the 
Preliminary Draft Consolidated Texts of the Free Trade Area of the 
Americas (FTAA) Agreement and the FTAA Technical Committee on 
Institutional Issues

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Office of the United States Trade Representative is 
providing notice that the preliminary draft consolidated text of the 
Free Trade Area of the Americas Agreement (FTAA) has been publicly 
released and posted on the FTAA website at www.ftaa-alca.org. The text 
is available in the four official languages of the FTAA: English, 
Spanish, French, and Portuguese. The Trade Policy Staff Committee 
(TPSC) is requesting written comment from the public on the FTAA 
preliminary draft consolidated text, as well as on the newly 
established FTAA Technical Committee on Institutional Issues.

DATES: Public comments should be received by 12 Noon, Wednesday, August 
22, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Public comments (original plus 20 copies) should be 
submitted to Gloria Blue, Executive Secretary, Trade Policy Staff 
Committee, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, 1724 F St., NW., 
Fifth Floor, Washington, DC 20508, Attention: Free Trade Area of the 
Americas Draft Text Release.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For procedural questions concerning 
public comments, contact Gloria Blue, Executive Secretary, Trade Policy 
Staff Committee, Office of the United States Trade Representative at 
(202) 395-3475. All other questions concerning the FTAA negotiations 
should be addressed to the agency's Office of Western Hemisphere 
Affairs, FTAA Office at (202) 395-5190. The FTAA preliminary draft 
consolidated text is now available in four languages, through a link at 
USTR's homepage to the official FTAA website (www.ftaa-alca.org) which 
also contains general information regarding the FTAA process, including 
official documents.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Background

A. Text Release

    Western Hemisphere Trade Ministers decided at the Buenos Aires 
Ministerial meeting on April 7, 2001 to make public the FTAA 
preliminary draft consolidated text. That decision was endorsed by the 
hemisphere's leaders at the Quebec Summit of the Americas on April 20-
22, 2001. The Ministers' decision to publish the text necessitated the 
translation of the preliminary draft texts produced by the nine 
Negotiating Groups (market access; agriculture; services; intellectual 
property rights; investment; government procurement; competition 
policy; dispute settlement; and subsidies, antidumping and 
countervailing duties) into the four official languages of the FTAA: 
English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese. The text is now available on 
the official FTAA website in all four languages. The preliminary draft 
consolidated text contains many brackets, indicating that the draft 
text enclosed by such brackets has not been agreed to by all FTAA 
members. Overall U.S. Government positions on the substantive areas 
covered by the FTAA negotiations can be found on the USTR website: 
http://www.ustr.gov/regions/whemisphere/ftaa.shtml

B. Technical Committee on Institutional Issues

    At the Buenos Aires Ministerial, FTAA countries created the 
Technical Committee on Institutional Issues, known as the ``TCI''. The 
TCI will

[[Page 36615]]

immediately begin the process of developing the overall structure of 
the FTAA Agreement, including (1) drafting the general provisions of 
the Agreement, including but not limited to the purposes and objectives 
of the Agreement, the preamble, the scope and coverage of the 
obligations, general exceptions, the relationship between the FTAA 
Agreement and the WTO Agreements, and the relationship between the FTAA 
Agreement and other regional integration agreements, and (2) making 
recommendations on institutions which might be required to implement 
the Agreement, including the human and financial resource implications 
for any institutional proposals.

2. Public Comments

    The TPSC previously has requested public comments on several FTAA 
issues, including: general US positions and objectives in the FTAA, see 
63 FR 128 (July 6, 1998), and 64 FR 248 (December 28, 1999); specific 
rules of origin in the FTAA, see 66 FR 87 (May 4, 2001); scope of the 
environmental review for the FTAA pursuant to Executive Order 13141, 
see 65 FR 233 (December 4, 2000); identification of private sector 
experts on electronic commerce for the Joint Committee of Experts on 
Electronic Commerce, see 65 FR 40 (February 29, 2000), 65 FR 150 
(August 3, 2000), 64 FR 94 (May 17, 1999), and 63 FR 151 (August 6, 
1998); and market access and other issues under the FTAA, see 64 FR 71 
(April 14, 1999). The TPSC also asked for comments on the operation of 
the FTAA Committee of Government Representatives on the Participation 
of Civil Society, see 63 FR 145 (July 29, 1998); and the TPSC provided 
notice in 65 FR 121 (June 22, 2000) that the FTAA Committee of 
Government Representatives on the Participation of Civil Society had 
issued a request for public comments on trade matters related to the 
FTAA process.

Written Comments

    Written comments, with as much specificity as possible, are invited 
on:
    (a) Any aspect of the FTAA preliminary draft consolidated text; and
    (b) The newly established FTAA Technical Committee on Institutional 
Issues.
    Persons submitting written comments should provide the original 
plus twenty (20) typed copies to Gloria Blue, Executive Secretary, 
Trade Policy Staff Committee, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, 
1724 F St., N.W., Fifth Floor, Washington, D.C. 20508, (202) 395-3475, 
no later than 12 Noon, August 22, 2001. If possible, comments should be 
submitted before this date.
    Comments should state clearly the position taken and should 
describe with particularity the evidence supporting that position. 
Written comments submitted in connection with this request, except for 
information granted ``business confidential'' status pursuant to 15 CFR 
2003.6, will be available for public inspection in the USTR Reading 
Room (Room Three) at the address noted above.
    Business confidential information will be subject to the 
requirements of 15 CFR 2003.6. Any business confidential material must 
be clearly marked as such on the cover letter or page and each 
succeeding page, and must be accompanied by a nonconfidential summary 
thereof. If the submission contains business confidential information, 
twenty copies of a public version that does not contain confidential 
information must be submitted. A justification as to why the 
information contained in the submission should be treated 
confidentially must be included in the submission. In addition, any 
submissions containing business confidential information must be 
clearly marked ``Confidential'' at the top and bottom of the cover page 
(or letter) and each succeeding page of the submission. The version 
that does not contain confidential information should also be clearly 
marked, at the top and bottom of each page, ``public version'' or 
``non-confidential.''
    Nonconfidential submissions will be available for public inspection 
at the USTR Reading Room in the annex of the Office of the USTR, 1724 F 
St., N.W., Room Three, Washington, D.C. An appointment to review the 
file may be made by calling Brenda Webb at (202) 395-6186. The Reading 
Room is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 12 noon and from 1 p.m. to 4 
p.m., Monday through Friday.
    To be assured of consideration in this round of negotiations, 
comments should be submitted by no later than 12 Noon on Wednesday, 
August 22, 2001.

Carmen Suro-Bredie,
Chair, Trade Policy Staff Committee.
[FR Doc. 01-17435 Filed 7-11-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-01-P