Memorandum from the President on Multilateral Trade Negotiations

Memorandum for the Special Representative for Trade Negotiations

Subject: Determination Regarding the Multilateral Trade Negotiations

I have signed the enclosed document concerning certain international trade agreements pursuant to the authority vested in me under the Constitution and laws of the United States, including the Trade Agreements Act of 1979 (Public Law 96-39, 93 Stat. 144) and section 301 of title 3 of the United States Code.

On my behalf, please transmit copies of this document to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate.

This document shall be published in the FEDERAL REGISTER.

JIMMY CARTER

PRESIDENTIAL DETERMINATION REGARDING THE ACCEPTANCE AND APPLICATION OF CERTAIN INTERNATIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS

1. Pursuant to section 102 of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2112(b)), I, through my duly empowered representative, on April 12, 1979, entered into the international agreements negotiated in the Tokyo Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations. These agreements were:

(i) Agreement on Interpretation and Application of Articles VI, XVI and XXIII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade;
(ii) Agreement on Implementation of Article VI of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade;
(iii) Agreement on Implementation of Article VII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade;
(iv) Agreement on Government Procurement;
(v) Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade;
(vi) Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures;
(vii) Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft;
(viii) International Dairy Arrangement, and
(ix) Arrangement Regarding Bovine Meat.

These agreements are collectively referred to herein as the "MTN agreements".

2. In accordance with sections 102 and 151 of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2112 and 2191), the MTN agreements were submitted to Congress for its approval. Section 2 of the Trade Agreements Act of 1979 (93 Stat. 147) approves the MTN Agreements .and authorizes the President to accept each of the MTN agreements provided that the President determines that all, or all but one, of the major industrial countries (as defined in section 126(d) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2136(d)) is also accepting the agreement. If the President determines that only one major industrial country is not accepting an agreement, the President may nevertheless accept such an agreement if he determines that the acceptance of that agreement by that country is not essential to the effective operation of the Agreement, and if:

(A) that country is not a major factor in trade in the products covered by that agreement;
(B) the President has authority to deny the benefits of the agreement to that country and has taken steps to deny the benefits of the agreement to that country; or
(C) a significant portion of United States trade would benefit from the agreement, notwithstanding such nonacceptance, and the President determines and reports to the Congress that it is in the national interest of the United States to accept the agreement.

3. Section 2 of the Trade Agreements Act of 1979 also provides that no agreement accepted by the President shall apply between the United States and any other country unless the President determines that such country:

(A) has accepted the obligations of the agreement with respect to the United States, and
(B) should not otherwise be denied the benefits of the agreement with respect to the United States because such country has not accorded adequate benefits, including substantially equal competitive opportunities for the commerce of the United States to the extent required under section 126(c) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C.2136(c)), to the United States.

4. Section 701 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended effective January 1, 1980 (93 Stat. 151) provides that the President must determine that certain conditions must be met before a country can be considered a "country under the Agreement" and, therefore, entitled to the injury determination provided for in section 703 (a) and 705(b) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (93 Stat. 152 and 159).

5. Section 601 (a) of the Trade Agreements Act of 1979 (93 Stat. 267) authorizes the President to proclaim certain modifications in the Tariff Schedules of the United States if the President determines that the conditions under section 2(b) of the Trade Agreements Act of 1979 (93 Stat. 147) on acceptance of the Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft have been fulfilled.

Now, THEREFORE, I, JIMMY CARTER, President of the United States of America, acting under and by virtue of the authority vested in me as President, and in conformity with the provisions of sections 2 and 601 (a) of the Trade Agreements Act of 1979 (93 Stat. 147 and 267), herein referred to as "the Act", section 701 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended effective January 1, 1980 (93 Stat. 151), and section 301 of title 3 of the United States Code do hereby

1. Determine that: a. With respect to the Agreement on Interpretation and Application of Articles VI, XVI and XXIII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, the Agreement on Implementation of Article VI of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade, the Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures, and the Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft,

(i) in accordance with sections 2(b) (1) and (3) of the Act ( 93 Stat. 147), each major industrial country (as defined in section 126(d) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2136(d)) is also accepting the agreement with the exception of Japan;
(ii) in accordance with section 2(b) (3) of the Act (93 Stat. 147), the acceptance of these agreements by Japan is not essential to the effective operation of the agreements for that period of time during which Japan is completing its Constitutional procedures to accept the agreements and in light of the stated intention of the Government of Japan to act in the interim in line with the agreements within its existing powers; and
(iii) in accordance with section 2(b) (3) (C) of the Act (93 Stat. 148), a significant portion of United States trade will benefit from these agreements, notwithstanding the anticipated short delay in acceptance by Japan, and it is in the national interest of the United States to accept these agreements.

b. The conditions in sections 701(b) (3) (A), (B) and (C) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended effective January 1, 1980 (93 Stat. 151), will have been met with respect to Venezuela, Honduras, Nepal, North Yemen, El Salvador, Paraguay and Liberia.

c. With respect to the International Dairy Arrangement,

(i) in accordance with sections 2(b) (1) and (3) of the Act (93 Stat. 47 ), each major industrial country (as defined in section 126(d)) is also accepting the agreement with the exception of Canada;
(ii) in accordance with section 2(b) (3) of the Act (93 Stat. 147), the .acceptance of this agreement by Canada is not essential to the effective operation of the agreement; and
(iii) in accordance with section 2(b) (3) (A) of the Act, Canada is not a major factor in trade in the products covered by the agreement.

d. With respect to the Arrangement Regarding Bovine Meat, in accordance with sections 2(b) (1) and (3) of the Act (93 Stat. 147), each major industrial country (as defined in section 126(d) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2136(d)) is also accepting the agreement.

e. In accordance with section 601 (a) of the Trade Agreements Act of 1979 (93 Stat. 267 ),
(i) the conditions under section 2 (b) of that Act (93 Stat. 147) on acceptance of the Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft have been fulfilled:

(ii) the modifications provided for in section A of Annex II to Proclamation No. 4707 of December 11, 1979, which were authorized by section 601(a) of the Trade Agreements Act of 1979 (93 Stat. 267), shall be effective with respect to articles entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on and after January 1, 1980; and
(iii) the amendment to section 466 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1466) provided for in section 601 (a) (3) of the Trade Agreements Act of 1979 (93 Stat. 268) shall be effective with respect to entries made under section 466 on and after January 1, 1980.

2. Authorize the United States Special Representative, for Trade Negotiations, or his designee, on behalf of the United States of America,

(a) to sign and accept the Agreement on Interpretation and Application of Articles VI, XVI, and XXIII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, the Agreement on Implementation of Article VI of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade, the Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures, the Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft, the International Dairy Arrangement and the Arrangement Regarding Bovine Meat;

(b) to sign the Agreement on Government Procurement subject to satisfactory completion of negotiations on entity coverage under the Agreements; and

(c) to sign the Agreement on Implementation of Article VII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade subject to acceptance.

3. Delegate the functions of the President under section 2(b) of the Trade Agreements Act of 1979 (the Act) and section 701 (b) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended by section 101 of the Act, to the Special Representative for Trade Negotiations who shall exercise such authority with the advice of the Trade Policy Committee and in accordance with the provisions of this determination.

JIMMY CARTER
The White House,
December 14, 1979.