The Bureau of Industry and Security said it will hold a partially open meeting of its Materials Processing Equipment Technical Advisory Committee on May 22, 2012, in Washington, D.C. The Committee advises the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Export Administration on technical questions that affect the level of export controls applicable to materials processing equipment and related technology. During the open session, the committee will hear presentations of papers and comments by the public, discussions on results from the last, and proposals for the next Wassenaar Meeting, and a report on proposed a recently issued changes to the Export Administration Regulations. The open session will be accessible via teleconference to 20 participants on a first come, first serve basis. To join the conference, submit inquiries to Yvette Springer at Yvette.Springer@bis.doc.gov by May 10, 2012.

The State Department issued a proposed rule to revise USML Category V (explosives and energetic materials, propellants, incendiary agents, and their constituents) to remove catchall categories, narrow the articles controlled on the USML, to make this list of items more positive, and address multilateral obligations. At the same time, BIS is proposing the creation of four new 600 series ECCNs to control articles removed from Category V that would instead be controlled by the CCL. The State Department is also not proposing any tiering at this time.

The Bureau of Industry and Security scheduled a partially open meeting of its Materials Technical Advisory Committee for May 17, 2012, in Washington, D.C. The Committee advises the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Export Administration on technical questions that affect the level of export controls applicable to materials and related technology. During the open session, the committee will hear remarks from BIS senior management, a report on the Composite Working Group and other working groups, a report on regime-based activities, and a discussion on the Role of the Department of Commerce in export of Avian Influenza Virus and related technology. The open session will be accessible via teleconference to 20 participants on a first come, first serve basis. To join the conference, submit inquiries to Yvette Springer at Yvette.Springer@bis.doc.gov by May 10, 2012.

The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control issued General License 4A, which authorizes exports or reexports to Syria of items licensed or otherwise authorized by the Department of Commerce and of exports and reexports of some services. General License 4A replaces and supersedes General License 4, dated August 18, 2011, it said. Syrian General License 4a was amended to include the new Executive Order 13606 of April 22, 2012, which blocks property of certain persons with respect to grave human rights abuses by the Governments of Iran and Syria via information technology (here), Treasury officials told us.

The Bureau of Industry and Security issued a final rule, effective April 27, 2012, which amends the Export Administration Regulations by adding to the Entity List¹, 16 persons under 18 entries for the countries of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates.