and Establishment of ACE Broker Accounts

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has issued a notice stating that the President's Export Council Subcommittee on Export Administration (PECSEA) will hold a partially open meeting on February 25, 2004 in Washington, DC. According to BIS, PECSEA provides advice on matters regarding portions of the Export Administration Act, as amended, that deal with U.S. policies of encouraging and controlling certain trade. (FR Pub 02/03/04, available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2004/pdf/04-2112.pdf)

(a) The ITA states that La Pointe & Roy, as both producer and exporter, has a de minimis CV rate of 0.08%. As a result, suspension of liquidation continues, but at a CV cash deposit rate of zero.

The International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued a notice announcing the opportunity to request administrative reviews of the following antidumping (AD) and countervailing (CV) duty orders or suspended investigations:

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has posted to its Web site the draft text of the U.S.-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), which is dated January 28, 2004.

The State Department has issued a notice announcing that on February 4, 2003, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia changed its name to "Serbia and Montenegro."

The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has issued two notices announcing that it has received two new, similar petitions as described below. According the FMC, interested persons are requested to submit comments on these petitions on or before February 13, 2004.

On October 27, 2003, the State Department published a final rule that amended the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) to indicate that exporters that are required to report shippers export information for U.S. Munitions List (USML) hardware must use the Automated Export System (AES).

The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has issued its 2003 Management Discussion and Analysis report covering fiscal year (FY) 2003 audited financial statements. The FMC states that this is the first-ever FMC report of this nature.

The International Trade Administration (ITA) has made a preliminary affirmative antidumping (AD) duty determination that floor-standing, metal-top ironing tables and certain parts thereof from China are being sold, or are likely to be sold, in the U.S. at less than fair value.