Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 104 Part 6.djvu/989

 PROCLAMATION 6179—SEPT. 13, 1990 104 STAT. 5379 922) or substantially equivalent legislation is not in effect, to modify HTS column 1 customs duty rates and quota limitations for articles classified in subheadings 1701.11.00, 1701.12.00, 1701.91.20, 1701.99.00, 1702.90.30, 1806.10.40, and 2106.90.10, if the President finds and proclaims that such modifications are required or appropriate to give due consideration to the interests in the United States sugar market of domestic producers and materially affected contracting parties to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). Previously, Proclamation No. 3822 of December 16, 1967 (82 Stat. 1455), had added almost identical provisions to the former Tariff Schedules of the United States (TSUS) in the form of headnote 2 to subpart A, part 10, schedule 1, in order to carry out a provision in the trade agreement known as the Geneva (1967) Protocol of the GATT (Note 1 of Unit A, Chapter 10, Part I of Schedule XX; 19 U.S.T.. Part II, 1282). 2. The Sugar Act of 1948 expired on December 31, 1974, and it has not been replaced with substantially equivalent legislation. Proclamation No. 4334 of November 16, 1974 (39 FR 40739), established rates of duty, and an absolute import quota, for such sugars, syrups, and molasses, to become effective on January 1, 1975. Proclamation No. 4334 further proclaimed such quantitative limitations in the form of headnote 3 of subpart A, part 10, schedule 1 of the TSUS. Subsequent proclamations have modified such rates of duty and quota limitations. The provisions of headnote 3 to subpart A, part 10, schedule 1 of the TSUS are now set forth in additional U.S. note 3 to chapter 17 of the HTS. 3. On June 22, 1989, the Council of the GATT adopted a panel report that concluded that the absolute quota on imports of sugar, syrups, and molasses maintained by the United States pursuant to additional U.S. note 2 to chapter 17 of the HTS is inconsistent with the obligations of the United States and which recommended that the United States either terminate such import restrictions or bring them into conformity with the GATT. 4. Section 902(a) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (99 Stat. 1443; 7 U.S.C. 1446 note) requires the President to "use all authorities available to the President as is necessary to enable the Secretary of Agriculture to operate the sugar program established under section 201 of the Agricultural Act of 1949 (7 U.S.C. 1446) at no cost to the Federal Government by preventing the accumulation of sugar acquired by the Commodity Credit Corporation." 5. Section 504(a)(1) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2464(a)(1)) authorizes the President to withdraw, suspend, or limit the application of the duty-free treatment accorded under section 501 of that act with respect to any article or with respect to any country, except that no rate of duty may be established with respect to any article other than the rate that would otherwise apply. In taking such action, the President must consider the factors set forth in sections 501 and 502(c) of that act. 6. Section 213(d) of the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (CBERA) (19 U.S.C. 2703(d)) provides specific rules with respect to imports of sugars, syrups, and molasses from CBERA beneficiary counfries for as long as there is a proclamation issued by the President pursuant to the authority vested in him by section 22 of the Agricultiiral Adjustment Act of 1933, as amended (7 U.S.C. 624), to protect a price-

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