The State Department determined Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant branches in Libya (here), Saudi Arabia (here) and Yemen (here) to be Specially Designated Global Terrorists. Additionally, State has designated ISIL-Libya as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (here) and has revoked the designation of Samir Kuntar as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (here). "Global terrorist" designations include prohibitions against knowingly providing, attempting or conspiring to provide material support or resources or engaging in transactions with the entities. The designations also freeze all property and interests of the entity in the U.S. or in the control of U.S. citizens.
After the State Department continued to receive old copies of the DSP-83 military export application form after that version’s expiration, the agency’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) issued a May 6 industry notice saying that pending applications carrying the old DSP-83 must no later than July 1 be updated on D-Trade to include the current form before goods can be exported, DDTC said (here). The old version of the form expired on Nov. 26. DDTC’s order will not affect pending applications incorporating old DSP-83s submitted prior to expiration, as long as the sought licenses were sent to DDTC before the expiration date, the agency said. Effective May 14, DDTC will no longer accept expired forms unless they’re accompanied by a separate signed letter from an “Empowered Official acknowledging they understand the requirement to obtain a new DSP-83 prior to DDTC approval of the case,” DDTC said.
The State Department has designated Musa Abu Dawud and Moussa Bourahla as Specially Designated Global Terrorists, it said (here).
The State Department Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) will review applications for licenses to export or temporarily import defense articles and services to and from the Ivory Coast under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) on a case-by-case basis, after United Nations Security Council sanctions regime against the country was terminated on April 28, State said on May 5 (here). DDTC will publish a notice to Federal Register to implement a conforming update to the ITAR.
The State Department Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) will review applications for licenses to export or temporarily import defense articles and services to and from Sri Lanka under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) on a case-by-case basis, after Congressionally mandated restrictions were not renewed in fiscal 2016 appropriations legislation, State said (here). DDTC will publish a notice to Federal Register to implement a conforming update to the ITAR.
The charter of the State Department’s Cultural Property Advisory Committee (CPAC) was renewed for two more years, State said (here). The CPAC reviews requests from countries that seek U.S. import restrictions on pillaged antiques of cultural significance, then makes recommendations to a presidential designee who has the final decision on whether to implement such measures. Members of the committee include archaeological, anthropological, and ethnological private-sector experts; as well as experts in the international sale of cultural property, museum representatives, and general public citizens.
The State Department on April 22 removed coffee (HTS 0901), and additional textiles and textile products (Section XI, Chapters 51 and 52) from a list of goods and services that are still ineligible for importation from Cuba (here), effectively clearing those goods for import, according to a department fact sheet (here). The list builds off of a January 2015 Office of Foreign Assets Control regulation that authorized imports of certain goods and services produced by independent Cuban entrepreneurs. Imports of the newly eligible items no longer need to be made directly from Cuba, State said.
Secretary of State John Kerry has announced that the State Department has designated Salah Abdeslam as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, State said (here).
Secretary of State John Kerry has announced that the State Department will continue to designate Ansar al Islam as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, State said (here).
The State Department Directorate of Defense Trade Controls on March 28 released public comments (here) it received on its Feb. 9 proposed amendments to U.S. Munitions List Categories (USML) VIII for aircraft and XIX for gas turbine engines as part of the Obama Administration’s ongoing Export Control Reform initiative (see 1602080017). Commenters mostly included aviation companies and defense contractors, several of whom recommended that State better clarify USML language about gearboxes, delete language identifying technical hardware that is already covered by the Commerce Control List (CCL), and to better specify and amend duplicate language on drones, according to the posted comments.