For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 4, 2004
A Proclamation: Implementing the 2004 United States-Israel Agreement on Trade in Agricultural Products
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
1. On April 22, 1985, the United States entered into the Agreement
on the Establishment of a Free Trade Area between the Government of the
United States of America and the Government of Israel (the "FTA"),
which the Congress approved in the United States-Israel Free Trade Area
Implementation Act of 1985 (the "FTA Act") (19 U.S.C. 2112 Note).
2. In order to maintain the general level of reciprocal and
mutually advantageous concessions with respect to agricultural trade
with Israel, on July 27, 2004, the Government of the United States
entered into an agreement with the Government of Israel concerning
certain aspects of trade in agricultural products during the period
January 1, 2004, through December 31, 2008 (the "2004 Agreement"). The
2004 Agreement reflects an effort by the United States and Israel to
address, through 2008, their continuing differences over the meaning of
certain provisions in the FTA governing access for United States
agricultural products to Israel's market.
3. Section 4(b) of the FTA Act provides that, whenever the
President determines that it is necessary to maintain the general level
of reciprocal and mutually advantageous concessions with respect to
Israel provided for by the FTA, the President may proclaim such
withdrawal, suspension, modification, or continuance of any duty, or
such continuance of existing duty-free or excise treatment, or such
additional duties as the President determines to be required or
appropriate to carry out the FTA.
4. Pursuant to section 4(b) of the FTA Act, I have determined that
it is necessary, in order to maintain the general level of reciprocal
and mutually advantageous concessions with respect to Israel, to
provide through the close of December 31, 2008, access into the United
States customs territory for specified quantities of certain
agricultural products of Israel free of duty or certain fees or other
import charges.
5. Section 604 of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2483) (the
"Trade Act") authorizes the President to embody in the Harmonized
Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS) the substance of the
relevant provisions of that act, and of other acts affecting import
treatment, and actions thereunder, including removal, modification,
continuance, or imposition of any rate of duty or other import
restriction.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, 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 section 4 of the FTA Act
and section 604 of the Trade Act, do hereby proclaim:
(1) In order to implement aspects of the 2004 Agreement with the
Government of Israel, concerning certain aspects of trade in
agricultural products, the HTS is modified as provided in the Annex to
this proclamation.
(2) Any 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.
(3) The modifications to the HTS made by the Annex to this
proclamation shall be effective with respect to goods that are the
product of Israel and are entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for
consumption, on or after January 1, 2004, and the tariff treatment set
forth therein shall be effective as provided in such Annex through
December 31, 2008.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourth day of
October, in the year of our Lord two thousand four, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
twenty-ninth.
GEORGE W. BUSH
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