The State Department has issued a press release announcing that the U.S. has signed an Open Skies civil aviation agreement with Madagascar. According to the press release, this agreement provides for open routes, capacity, frequencies, designations, and pricing, as well as opportunities for cooperative marketing agreements, including code-sharing. The press release also states that the agreement includes all-cargo seventh freedom rights, allowing airlines to perform international cargo operations with no connection to their homeland. (State Department press release, dated 03/10/04, available at http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2004/30328.htm.)
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a notice requesting written comments by April 22, 2004 concerning the establishment of a World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement panel (DSP) to examine various measures relating to the U.S. antidumping (AD) duty order on gray portland cement and cement clinker (cement) from Mexico.
The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) has issued a notice requesting public comments by March 26, 2004 regarding a "commercial availability" petition it received under the U.S.-Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA) from Dillard's, Inc. and BWA, Inc.:
The International Trade Administration (ITA) has initiated antidumping (AD) duty investigations of certain tissue paper products and certain crepe paper products from China.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is preparing to implement its requirement that advance electronic information be presented for inbound air cargo through its CBP-approved data interchange system, which is currently the Air Automated Manifest System (AMS).
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a notice requesting written comments by April 6, 2004 regarding the establishment of a World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement panel concerning measures of the European Communities (EC) affecting the approval and marketing of the products of agricultural biotechnology (biotech products).
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued an ABI administrative message announcing that its most recent Harmonized System (HS) update contains:
Pursuant to the initiation notice of an AD duty new shipper review, a bond or other security may continue to be posted in lieu of an AD cash deposit, until the final results are in effect.
In September 2001, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) issued a proposed rule to amend the regulations in 7 CFR Part 319 to require that a phytosanitary certificate accompany all fruits and vegetables imported into the U.S., with certain exceptions.