[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 53 (Tuesday, March 19, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Page 16908]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-06274]


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STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


Determinations Under the African Growth and Opportunity Act

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The United States Trade Representative (USTR) has determined 
that Cote d'Ivoire has adopted an effective visa system and related 
procedures to prevent unlawful transshipment of textile and apparel 
articles and the use of counterfeit documents in connection with the 
shipment of such articles and has implemented and follows, or is making 
substantial progress toward implementing and following, the customs 
procedures required by the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). 
Therefore, as specified in this notice, imports of eligible products 
from Cote d'Ivoire qualify for the textile and apparel benefits 
provided for under AGOA.

DATES: Effective Date: March 19, 2013.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Constance Hamilton, Deputy Assistant 
United States Trade Representative for African Affairs, Office of the 
United States Trade Representative, (202) 395-9514.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The AGOA (Title I of the Trade and 
Development Act of 2000, Public Law 106-200, as amended provides 
preferential tariff treatment for imports of certain textile and 
apparel products of beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries. The 
textile and apparel trade benefits under AGOA are available to imports 
of eligible products from countries that the President designates as 
``beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries,'' provided that these 
countries: (1) Have adopted an effective visa system and related 
procedures to prevent unlawful transshipment of textile and apparel 
articles and the use of counterfeit documents in connection with 
shipment of such articles; and (2) have implemented and follow, or are 
making substantial progress toward implementing and following, certain 
customs procedures that assist the Customs Service in verifying the 
origin of the products. In Proclamation 8741 (October 25, 2011), the 
President designated Cote d'Ivoire as a ``beneficiary sub-Saharan 
Africa country'' and proclaimed that, for purposes of section 112(c) of 
the AGOA, Cote d'Ivoire shall be considered a lesser developed 
beneficiary sub-Saharan African country.
    In Proclamation 7350 (October 2, 2000), the President authorized 
the USTR to perform the function of determining whether eligible sub-
Saharan beneficiary countries have met the two requirements described 
above. The President directed the USTR to announce any such 
determinations in the Federal Register and to implement them through 
modifications the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States 
(HTS). Based on actions that Cote d'Ivoire has taken, I have determined 
that Cote d'Ivoire has satisfied these two requirements. Accordingly, 
pursuant to the authority assigned to the USTR in Proclamation 7350, 
U.S. note 7(a) to subchapter II of chapter 98 of the HTS, and U.S. 
notes 1 and 2(d) to subchapter XIX of the HTS are modified by inserting 
``Cote d'Ivoire'' in alphabetical sequence in the list of countries. 
The foregoing modifications to the HTS are effective with respect to 
articles entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on date 
of publication. Importers claiming preferential tariff treatment under 
the AGOA for entries of textile and apparel articles should ensure that 
those entries meet the applicable visa requirements. See Visa 
Requirements Under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, 66 FR 7837 
(2001).

Ron Kirk,
United States Trade Representative.
[FR Doc. 2013-06274 Filed 3-18-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-F3-P