[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 133 (Tuesday, July 13, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37745-37747]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-17742]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
Secretary Daley's Trade Mission To The Middle East
AGENCY: International Trade Administration, Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of trade mission to the Middle East.
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SUMMARY: This notice serves to inform the public of a Secretarial Trade
Mission to the Middle East, October 9-18, 1999, and of the opportunity
to apply for participation in the mission; sets forth objectives,
procedures, and participation criteria for the mission; and requests
applications.
DATES: Applications should be submitted to Lucie Naphin by August 18,
1999, in order to ensure sufficient time to obtain in-country
appointments for applicants selected to participate in the mission.
Applications received after that date will be considered only if space
and scheduling constraints permit. The mission is scheduled to travel
to Egypt, Israel, the West Bank, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United
Arab Emirates.
ADDRESSES: Request for and submission of applications--Applications are
available from Lucie Naphin, Director of the office of Business
Liaison, at (202) 482-1360 or via facsimile at (202) 482-4054. Numbers
listed in this notice are not toll-free. An original and two copies of
the required application materials should be sent to Ms. Naphin.
Applications sent by facsimile must be immediately followed by
submission of the original application to Ms. Naphin at the following
address: Office of Business Liaison, Room 5062, U.S. Department of
Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Ave, N.W. Washington, DC 20230.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lucie Naphin at (202) 482-1360.
Information is also available via the International Trade
Administration's (ITA) Internet home page at: ``http://www.ita.doc.gov'
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Trade Mission Description
Secretary of Commerce William M. Daley will lead two trade missions
to the Middle East in October, 1999. He will lead a business
development mission to Egypt, Israel, Gaza/West Bank, and Jordan
October 9-15, 1999 and a business development mission to Saudi Arabia
and the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) October 15-18, 1999.
Egypt, Israel, Gaza/West Bank, and Jordan
In Jordan, Israel, Gaza/West Bank, and Egypt, the focus of the
mission will be on commercial opportunities presented by the
liberalization of these countries' economies and the privatization of
key industry sectors. The delegation will include 10-15 U.S. company
executives of large, medium and small firms representing the following
key sectors: information technology, including computer hardware,
software development, and telecommunications; energy; environmental
technologies; agribusiness, including food processing and fertilizers;
health care; tourism, including hotel construction and management; and
insurance and banking.
[[Page 37746]]
This mission will reaffirm the U.S. Government's support for the
commercial aspects of the peace process, a top foreign and commercial
priority.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates
In Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E., the focus of the mission will also
be on commercial opportunities presented by the liberalization of these
countries' economies and the privatization of key industry sectors. The
delegation will include 10-15 U.S. company executives of large, medium
and small firms representing the following key sectors of: energy,
including power generation, and oil and gas exploration and
development; information technology, including computer hardware,
software development, and telecommunications; environmental
technologies; agribusiness; and health care.
This mission will include advocacy for major commercial projects,
including the recent interest expressed by Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah
in attracting greater U.S. private sector participation in the Saudi
energy sector.
Timetable
The mission will depart Washington on October 8. A delegation will
visit Jordan, Israel, Gaza/West Bank, and Egypt October 9-15, and a
second delegation will visit Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. October 15-18.
Commercial Setting
Egypt, Israel, Gaza/West Bank, and Jordan
The Government of Egypt has embarked on a significant economic
reform program which has made Egypt an attractive emerging market.
Egypt plans to privatize much of its power sector, roads, airports,
ports, cement companies, and water supply. Egypt has also passed
legislation allowing 100 percent foreign ownership of banks and
insurance companies. Egypt is seeking U.S. firms for the mobile phone
market. Egypt is also interested in U.S. environmental and agricultural
export technologies. An increasing number of American firms are looking
at Egypt for possible exports and to establish their regional marketing
and manufacturing centers there. Egypt is our third largest market in
the Middle East with exports totaling $3 billion in 1998.
As our second largest market in the Middle East, Israel offers
major export and investment opportunities in environmental
technologies, information technologies, and the medical field. Israel
has the highest number of high-technology start-ups per capita in the
world, and is seeking joint ventures with U.S. firms; eight U.S. state
governments have offices in Israel to take advantages of these
opportunities. U.S. exports to Israel in 1998 were valued at $7
billion.
Gaza/West Bank benefits from the Duty Free Proclamation, which
allows U.S. products to be traded free of tariffs with the Palestinian
Authority. U.S. firms also have the opportunity to use industrial
facilities at the newly launched industrial park, the Gaza Industrial
Estate. The Palestinian business community has long sought to encourage
greater U.S. private sector participation in their market, and is eager
to serve as agents and distributors for, as well as joint venture
partners with, American firms. Telecommunications, tourism, and
franchising in a wide range of areas, including food and office
products, are particularly promising sectors for U.S. business.
The Jordanian Government has made new commitments to privatize key
industries, including telecommunications. The Government has also
recently announced that the Aqaba railway will be privatized by a
consortium, led by U.S. companies. Moreover, the United States, Jordan,
and Israel have instituted several Qualifying Industrial Zones in
Jordan, which allow goods to enter the United States free of duties and
quotas on a reciprocal basis. The U.S. Government also has a number of
aid programs in Jordan that offer export opportunities to U.S.
companies in infrastructure and environmental technologies.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates
Saudi Arabia is the largest U.S. market in the Middle East, with
$10.5 billion in exports in 1998. Recent increases in oil prices have
improved the Saudis' ability to purchase goods and services. Saudi
Arabia is particularly interested in U.S. firms in energy,
telecommunications, environmental technologies, and medical services
and equipment. Saudi Arabia is moving forward to develop much of its
natural gas potential for the first time.
The United Arab Emirates, which has made great strides in
diversifying its economy, represents a booming economy. The U.A.E. is
interested in environmental technologies, medical fields, and
telecommunications, among other sectors. Last year, the U.A.E. imported
$2.4 billion in U.S. products. In 1997, Secretary Daley visited Abu
Dhabi and Dubai in the U.A.E. following his participation in the Middle
East/North Africa Economic Conference in Doha, Qatar.
New commercial opportunities will develop as a result of growing
interest in privatization, which is already occurring in the U.A.E.'s
power sector and is proposed for the same sector in Saudi Arabia, as
well as additional sectors in both countries. In addition, expanding
private sector opportunities is a major emphasis of the U.S.-Gulf
Cooperation Council Economic Dialogue and the policies of those two key
members of the GCC.
Goals for the Missions
The Secretary's missions to the Middle East will advance specific
business interests of the mission members by introducing them to key
host government decisionmaking officials and to potential business
partners. U.S. companies participating on the missions who are already
established in the region will increase their visibility, and new-to-
market firms will be able to gain a foothold in these very competitive
markets. In addition, the Secretary will support the U.S. Government's
efforts to reduce market access problems encountered by American firms
in these markets.
The Secretary also will encourage continued progress in economic
reforms in each of these stops. These reforms have been the focus of
the Gore-Mubarak Economic Partnership, the U.S.-GCC Economic Dialogue,
the U.S.-Jordanian Bilateral Economic Committee, and the U.S.-
Palestinian Bilateral Committee. The Secretary will also co-chair the
semi-annual meeting of the U.S.-Israel Science and Technology
Commission.
Mission Scenarios
At each stop, American Embassy officials will provide a detailed
briefing on the economic and commercial climate, and the status of
regional economic and commercial cooperation. Meetings will be arranged
with appropriate government ministers and other senior level government
officials. In addition, private meetings will be scheduled with
potential buyers, agents/distributors, and/or joint venture or
investment partners.
The Secretary will meet with senior government officials as well as
his trade counterparts to encourage free market reforms beneficial to
the U.S. private sector. The Secretary will also urge host government
officials to eliminate market access problems encountered by American
firms and to take steps to liberalize their trade and investment
[[Page 37747]]
regimes. He will also meet with resident American business
representatives.
Criteria for Participation of Companies
The recruitment and selection of private sector participants for
these missions will be conducted according to the Statement of Policy
governing Department of Commerce-led trade missions announced by
Secretary Daley on March 3, 1997. Participants will be selected
separately for each mission and applicants should complete and submit
an application for each mission. Approximately 10-15 companies will be
selected for each mission. Companies may apply for the one or both of
the missions. Selection for one mission does not confer priority for
selection for the other mission.
Eligibility
Participating companies must be incorporated in the United States.
A company is eligible to participate only if the products and/or
services that it will promote (a) are manufactured or produced in the
United States; or (b) if manufactured or produced outside the United
States, are marketed under the name of a U.S. firm and have U.S.
content representing at least 51 percent of the value of the finished
good or service. (At the discretion of the Department, which will
generally be exercised on a mission-specific and sector-by-sector
basis, the 51 percent U.S. content requirement may be modified or
waived.)
Selection Criteria
Companies will be selected for participation on each mission on the
basis of:
--Level of seniority of designated company representatives and
appropriateness of the company to the mission objectives;
--Relevance of a company's business and product line to the sectors
identified below;
--Past, present, and prospective business activity in the region; and
--Diversity of company size, type, location, demographics, and
traditional under-representation in business.
In addition, the Department may consider whether the company's
overall business objectives, including those of any U.S. or overseas
affiliates, are fully consistent with the mission's foreign and
commercial policy objectives.
Companies for the Egypt, Israel, Gaza/West Bank, and Jordan
business development mission will be drawn from several sectors
including, but not limited to:
--Information technology, including computer hardware, software
development, and telecommunications;
--Environmental technologies, including waste treatment and water
development;
--Agribusiness and food processing, farm machinery, fertilizers;
--Tourism, including hotel construction and management, resort
development, and entertainment;
--Insurance and banking;
--Medical services and equipment; and
--Franchising.
Companies for the Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates business
development mission will be drawn from several sectors, including, but
not limited to:
--Energy, including power generation, and oil and gas exploration and
development;
--Information technology, including computer hardware, software
development, and telecommunications;
--Environmental technologies;
--Agribusiness; and
--Medical services and equipment.
An applicant's partisan political activities (including political
contributions) are irrelevant to the selection process.
Time Frame For Applications
Applications for the Middle East trade missions will be made
available beginning on or about July 13, 1999. Companies/participants
may apply to one or both trade missions, however, separate applications
will be required for each trade mission. The fees to participate in
these missions have not yet been determined. The fees will not cover
travel or lodging expenses. For additional information on these trade
missions or to obtain an application for either or both, business
persons should be referred to Lucie Naphin, Director of the Office of
Business Liaison, or Jennifer Andberg, Office of Business Liaison, at
202-482-1360. Applications should be submitted to Lucie Naphin by
August 18, 1999, in order to ensure sufficient time to obtain in-
country appointments for applicants selected to participate in the
mission. Applications received after that date will be considered only
if space and scheduling constraints permit.
Authority: 15 U.S.C. 1512.
Dated: July 7, 1999.
Thomas Parker,
Director, Office of the Near East, International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
[FR Doc. 99-17742 Filed 7-12-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DA-P