Proclamation 6821

by Bill Clinton

By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation

1. (a) On April 15, 1994, I entered into trade agreements resulting from the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations ("the Uruguay Round Agreements"), including the Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization ("the WTO Agreement") and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 ("the GATT 1994"), annexed to the WTO Agreement. In section 101(a) of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act ("the URAA") (Public Law 103-465, 108 Stat. 4814) (19 U.S.C. 3511(a)), the United States approved the Uruguay Round Agreements. These agreements entered into force for the United States on January 1, 1995.

(b) Section 125(c) of the Trade Act of 1974 ("the 1974 Act") (19 U.S.C. 2135(c)) provides that whenever the United States, acting in pursuance of any of its rights or obligations under any trade agreement entered into pursuant to the 1974 Act, modifies any obligation with respect to the trade of any foreign country or instrumentality, the President is authorized to proclaim increased duties or other import restrictions, to the extent, at such times, and for such periods as he deems necessary or appropriate, in order to exercise the rights or fulfill the obligations of the United States. Section 421 of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (19 U.S.C. 2135 note) authorizes the President, pursuant to the 1974 Act, to proclaim an increase in any existing duty on certain tobacco to a rate no more than 50 percent above the rate that was set forth in rate column numbered 2 of the Tariff Schedules of the United States, as in effect on January 1, 1975, or no more than 350 percent ad valorem above the rate existing on January 1, 1975, whichever is higher.

(c) Section 1105(a) of the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 ("the 1988 Act") (19 U.S.C. 2904(a)) provides that for purposes of applying section 125 of the 1974 Act, any trade agreement entered into under section 1102 of the 1988 Act (19 U.S.C. 2902) shall be treated as an agreement entered into under section 101 or 102, as appropriate, of the 1974 Act (19 U.S.C. 2111 and 2112), and any proclamation issued pursuant to such a trade agreement shall be treated as a proclamation issued pursuant to a trade agreement entered into under section 102 of the 1974 Act.

(d) The United States, acting pursuant to its rights and obligations under the Uruguay Round Agreements, in particular Article XXVIII of the GATT 1994, is modifying its obligations with respect to the tariff treatment of certain tobacco to establish a tariff-rate quota for imports of such tobacco.

(e) Accordingly, I have determined that it is appropriate to proclaim the tariff modifications set forth in Annex I to this proclamation in order to exercise the rights and fulfill the obligations of the United States under the Uruguay Round Agreements. These modifications would, among other things, establish a tariff-rate quota for imports of certain tobacco.

2. (a) Section 423 of the URAA (19 U.S.C. 3621) authorizes the President to proclaim the reduction or elimination of any duty with respect to cigar binder and filler tobacco, wrapper tobacco, or oriental tobacco set forth in Schedule XX-United States of America, annexed to the Marrakesh Protocol to the GATT 1994 ("Schedule XX").

(b) I have decided to proclaim the elimination of the duties on cigar binder and filler tobacco, wrapper tobacco, and oriental tobacco, as set forth in Annex I to this proclamation.

3. (a) Section 422(c) of the URAA (7 U.S.C. 1445 note) authorizes the President to waive the application to imported tobacco of section 106(g) of the Agricultural Act of 1949 (7 U.S.C. 1445(g)) if the President determines that the waiver is necessary or appropriate pursuant to an international agreement entered into by the United States.

(b) I have determined that it is necessary or appropriate pursuant to the Uruguay Round Agreements to waive the application of section 106(g) of the Agricultural Act of 1949 to imports of cigar tobacco. This waiver shall take effect on the effective date of this proclamation.

4. Presidential Proclamation No. 6641 of December 15, 1993, which implemented the North American Free Trade Agreement ("the NAFTA") with respect to the United States, established a tariff heading in chapter 98 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedules of the United States ("the HTS") for certain textile and apparel goods assembled in Mexico from fabric wholly formed and cut in the United States. This tariff heading, 9802.00.90, inadvertently narrowed the scope of the agreed duty-free treatment, as set forth in Appendix 2.4 to Annex 300-B to the NAFTA. I have decided that it is necessary and appropriate to modify heading 9802.00.90 to the HTS to align it with the provisions of the NAFTA, pursuant to section 201(a)(1) of the North American Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (Public Law 103-182, 107 Stat. 2057) (19 U.S.C. 3331(a)(1)).

5. (a) The March 9, 1994, Memorandum of Understanding on the Results of the Uruguay Round Negotiations on Agriculture Between the United States of America and Uruguay and the March 24, 1994, Memorandum of Understanding on the Results of the Uruguay Round Market Access Negotiations on Agriculture Between the United States of America and Argentina ("the MOUs") were submitted to the Congress along with the Uruguay Round Agreements. Each MOU provides that, once the appropriate Department of Agriculture authorities approve the country to ship fresh, chilled or frozen beef to the United States, the in-quota quantity of the United States tariff-rate quota for beef will be increased by 20,000 metric tons, and that increase will be allocated to that country.

(b) Section 404(d)(4) of the URAA (19 U.S.C. 3601(d)(4)) authorizes the President to proclaim an increase in the in-quota quantity of the tariff-rate quota for beef if the President determines that an increase is necessary to implement either MOU.

(c) Accordingly, pursuant to section 404(d)(4) of the URAA, I have determined that it is necessary to proclaim an increase in the in-quota quantity of the tariff-rate quota for beef as set forth in Annex II to this proclamation, to be effective for each country upon the dates specified therein.

6. Presidential Proclamation No. 6763 of December 23, 1994, implemented the Uruguay Round Agreements, including Schedule XX, with respect to the United States and incorporated in the HTS tariff modifications necessary and appropriate to carry out the Uruguay Round Agreements. Certain technical errors, including inadvertent omissions and typographical errors, were made in that proclamation. I have decided that, in order to reflect accurately the intended tariff treatment provided for in the Uruguay Round Agreements, it is necessary to modify certain provisions of the HTS, as set forth in Annex II to this proclamation.

Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United States of America, acting under the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, including but not limited to section 301 of title 3, United States Code, section 125 of the 1974 Act (19 U.S.C. 2135), sections 421, 422(c) and 423 of the URAA (19 U.S.C. 2135 note, 7 U.S.C. 1445 note, and 19 U.S.C. 3621, respectively), and section 604 of the 1974 Act (19 U.S.C. 2483), do hereby proclaim:

(1) In order to exercise the rights and fulfill the obligations of the United States under the WTO Agreement, the HTS is modified as set forth in Annex I to this proclamation.

(2) The provisions of Annex I to this proclamation shall take effect with respect to articles entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the dates specified in such annex.

(3) Section 106(g) of the Agricultural Act of 1949 (7 U.S.C. 1445(g)) is waived with respect to imports of cigar tobacco entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the effective date of this proclamation.

(4) (a) In order to correct certain technical errors, to modify heading 9802.00.90, and to implement certain determinations concerning tariff-rate quotas for Argentina and Uruguay, the HTS is modified as set forth in Annex II to this proclamation.

(b) Annex I to Presidential Proclamation No. 6343 of September 28, 1991, is amended as set forth in Annex II to this proclamation.

(c) The modifications made by Annex II to this proclamation shall be effective with respect to goods entered or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption on or after the dates specified in such annex.

(5) The United States Trade Representative and the Secretary of the Treasury are authorized to exercise my authority under the statutes cited in this proclamation to perform certain functions to implement this proclamation, as assigned to them in Annex I to this proclamation.

(6) All provisions of previous proclamations and Executive orders that are inconsistent with the actions taken in this proclamation are superseded to the extent of such inconsistency.

(7) This proclamation is effective on September 13, 1995.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twelfth day of September, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twentieth.

William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 11:47 a.m., September 12, 1995]