In a February 11, 2004 speech, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Robert Bonner announced that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is considering a new "Immigration Security Initiative." According to the speech, as it is under consideration, ISI teams of CBP officers would work with the National Targeting Center, the foreign authorities, the air carriers, and other U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies to: (1) utilize advance manifest information to identify potentially high-risk passengers; (2) work with the airlines and the host-nation authorities to question the high-risk passengers and examine their travel documents; and (3) make a determination whether the high-risk passengers are admissible into the U.S. prior to boarding. Commissioner Bonner stated that he would propose that ISI be piloted at 5 to 10 foreign hub airports and that ISI be evaluated and then expanded. (CBP Commissioner's speech, dated 02/11/04, available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/commissioner/speeches_statements/mar032004.xml.)
The Washington Trade Daily (WTD) reports that the free trade negotiations that began with Bahrain in January 2004 are nearly half completed, with an negotiations possibly being completed as early as June. The WTD states that the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) believes Kuwait, Yemen, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) could possibly dock into this agreement. (WTD Pub 03/04/04, www.washingtontradedaily.com)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a March 1, 2004 version of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and responses regarding its final rule requiring the advance electronic presentation of information pertaining to cargo (sea, air, rail, or truck) prior to its being brought into, or sent from, the U.S.
The International Trade Commission (ITC) has posted to its Web site a list of corrections to known errors discovered after the printing of the 2004 Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the U.S. (HTS).
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted to its Web site the Winter 2003 issue of its "ACE Modernization Monitor" newsletter.
On May 20, 2003, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) issued a proposed rule to require imported solid wood packing material (SWPM) to be either heat treated or fumigated with methyl bromide, as well as marked, prior to importation, in accordance with the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM) 15 entitled "Guidelines for Regulating Wood Packaging Material in International Trade." ISPM 15 was approved by the Interim Commission on Phytosanitary Measures of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) on March 15, 2002.
The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) has issued a notice announcing that, effective March 5, 2004, it is implementing a new unilateral quota on glass fiber fabrics in sublimit (622N) that are produced or manufactured in Belarus and exported during the January 1, 2004 through December 31, 2004 period.
The International Trade Commission (ITC) has issued a general exclusion order in its Section 337 investigation of certain sildenafil or any pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, such as sildenafil citrate, and products containing same1 (Inv. No. 337-TA-489) and announcing that it has terminated the investigation.
(a) Chandan and Isibars have an AD rate of zero; no cash deposits will be required although suspension of liquidation will continue
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has posted to its Web site the draft text of the U.S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement (AFTA), which is dated March 1, 2004.