According to Shipper's NewsWire, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is continuing to work on a regulation mandating importers use tamper-evident, mechanical seals for all incoming ocean containers. The article notes that DHS is considering quickly implementing the same requirement for shippers in the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program as a temporary safeguard until a formal rulemaking is completed. The article also notes that real world testing of electronic seals and container security devices has not produced a silver bullet yet and that DHS officials state that if electronic surveillance technology is going to be relied upon, the integrity of the equipment needs to be as robust as possible before its use is required. According to the article, DHS officials also estimate that it will take another three years before it can endorse a container security device for limited deployment and five years for universal deployment on the millions of containers in the system. (See ITT's Online Archives or 11/15/04 news, 04111599 1 for previous BP summary on only the electronic seal or container security device aspect of this Shipper's NewsWire article.) (SNW dated 11/12/04, www.americanshippper.com.)
The Washington Post reports that Secretary of State Colin Powell and Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman have submitted their resignations to President Bush. According to the articles, President Bush is expected to nominate Condoleeza Rice, his national security adviser, to replace Colin Powell as Secretary of State.
The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has published in the Federal Register the general licenses that have been issued in the Cuba, Burma, and Western Balkans sanctions programs.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued an ABI administrative message stating that it will make future changes to the Automated Commercial System (ACS) to automate the reporting of diamond certificate numbers (aka 'Kimberly Process certificate' numbers) for certain diamond tariff numbers.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has issued a final rule, effective September 23, 2004, in order to revise certain reporting and recordkeeping requirements contained in the Rough Diamonds Control Regulations (RDCR, 31 CFR Part 592).
The Treasury Department has issued a press release regarding President Bush's termination of the national emergency with respect to Libya and the removal of all remaining economic sanctions that have been in place against Libya since 1986 under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). According to the press release, the President has taken this action in response to Libya's concrete progress in dismantling its weapons of mass destruction and the missiles capable of delivering them.
In the July 30, 2004 Federal Register, an Executive Order (EO), an interim rule, and a final rule were published in order to, among other things, set forth changes to the U.S. government's export, reexport, and licensing policies with respect to Iraq.
The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has issued a notice requesting comments concerning the effectiveness of its licensing procedures implementing the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 (Act, Title IX of P.L. 106-387) for the exportation of agricultural commodities, medicine, and medical devices to Sudan, Libya (see below), and Iran.
In the July 30, 2004 Federal Register, an Executive Order (EO), an interim rule, and a final rule were published in order to, among other things, set forth changes to the U.S. government's export, reexport, and licensing policies with respect to Iraq.
In the July 30, 2004 Federal Register, an Executive Order (EO), an interim rule, and a final rule were published in order to, among other things, set forth changes to the U.S. government's export, reexport, and licensing policies with respect to Iraq.