For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
November 21, 2001

Imports of Steel Wire Rod Proclamation
Modifing the Tariff-Rate Quota Applicable to Imports of Steel Wire Rod.
A Proclamation

1.  On February 16, 2000, pursuant to section 203 of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (the "Trade Act") (19 U.S.C. 2253), President Clinton issued Proclamation 7273, which imposed a tariff-rate quota (TRQ) on certain steel wire rod imports provided for in subheadings 7213.91, 7213.99, 7227.20 and 7227.90.60 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS) for a period of 3 years plus 1 day.  Proclamation 7273 did not allocate the in-quota quantity of the TRQ among supplier countries.

2.  Pursuant to section 203(g) of the Trade Act (19 U.S.C. 2253(g)), in order to provide for the efficient and fair administration of the TRQ, I have determined that the in-quota quantity of the TRQ should be allocated among supplier countries in the manner set forth in the Annex to this proclamation.

3.  Section 604 of the Trade Act (19 U.S.C. 2483) authorizes the President to embody in the HTS the substance of the relevant provisions of that Act, and of other acts affecting import treatment, and actions thereunder, including the 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 of America, including but not limited to sections 203 and 604 of the Trade Act, do proclaim that:

(1)  In order to allocate the in-quota quantity of the TRQ on wire rod imports, subchapter III of chapter 99 of the HTS is modified as set forth 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of previous proclamations and Executive Orders that are inconsistent with the actions taken in this proclamation are superseded to the extent of such inconsistency.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)  Effective at the close of March 1, 2004, or such other date that is 1 year from the close of this relief, the U.S. note and tariff provisions established in the Annex of this proclamation shall be deleted from the HTS.

(4)  The modifications to the HTS made by this proclamation and the Annex hereto shall be effective with respect to goods entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, after the close of November 23, 2001, and shall continue in effect through the close of March 1, 2003, unless such actions are earlier expressly modified or terminated.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-first day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-sixth.

GEORGE W. BUSH

ANNEX

MODIFICATIONS TO SUBCHAPTER III OF CHAPTER 99 OF THE

HARMONIZED TARIFF SCHEDULE OF THE UNITED STATES

Effective with respect to goods entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after November 24, 2001, subchapter III of chapter 99 is hereby modified as follows:

1.  The following new subdivision (i) is inserted at the end of U.S. note 9:

"(i) For purposes of subheadings 9903.72.09 through 9903.72.14, inclusive, the term "European Community" means Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom."

2.  Subheading 9903.72.08 is modified by striking "November 30," and by inserting in lieu thereof "November 23,".

3.  The article description of subheading 9903.72.09 is modified to read as follows, including the countries and allocations hereby inserted immediately below such article description:

"If entered during the period from November 24, 2001, through February

28, 2002, inclusive, (1) in an overall aggregate quantity not in

excess of the remaining quantity, if any, from 1,462,018,923 kg after

the total quantities entered under subheadings 9903.72.06 through

9903.72.08, inclusive, are subtracted therefrom, and (2) in the

respective aggregate quantity of goods the product of a foreign

country specified below as the listed percentage of such overall

aggregate quantity remaining after the sum of the four enumerated

quantities set forth below is subtracted from such overall aggregate

quantity:

European Community..............................................

28.161%

Trinidad and

Tobago............................

...................      16.554%

Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia,

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova,

Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan,

Ukraine and Uzbekistan.......................................

12.616%

All other

countries.........................

..........................

42.669%"

4.  The article description of subheading 9903.72.11 is modified to read as follows, including the countries and allocations hereby inserted immediately below such article description:

"If entered during the period from March 1, 2002, through May 31,

2002, inclusive, in the respective aggregate quantity of goods the

product of a foreign country specified below, after which no such

goods the product of such country may be entered during the remainder

of such period under this subheading:

European Community................................

104,987,486 kg

Trinidad and Tobago..................................

61,716,789 kg

Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia,

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova,

Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan,

Ukraine and Uzbekistan..........................

47,034,377 kg

All other countries......................................

159,076,170 kg"

5.  The article description of subheading 9903.72.12 is modified to read as follows, including the countries and allocations hereby inserted immediately below such article description:

"If entered during the period from June 1, 2002, through August 31,

2002, inclusive, in the respective aggregate quantity of goods the

product of a foreign country specified below, after which no such

goods the product of such country may be entered during the remainder

of such period under this subheading:

European Community.................................

104,987,486 kg

Trinidad and Tobago..................................

61,716,789 kg

Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia,

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova,

Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan,

Ukraine and Uzbekistan...........................

47,034,377 kg

All other countries.......................................

159,076,170 kg"

2

6.  The article description of subheading 9903.72.13 is modified to read as follows, including the countries and allocations hereby inserted immediately below such article description:

"If entered during the period from September 1, 2002, through November

30, 2002, inclusive, in the respective aggregate quantity of goods the

product of a foreign country specified below, after which no such

goods the product of such country may be entered during the remainder

of such period under this subheading:

European Community.................................

104,987,486 kg

Trinidad and Tobago...................................

61,716,789 kg

Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia,

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova,

Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan,

Ukraine and Uzbekistan...........................

47,034,377 kg

All other countries.......................................

159,076,170 kg"

7.  The article description of subheading 9903.72.14 is modified to read as follows, including the countries and allocations hereby inserted immediately below such article description:

"If entered during the period from December 1, 2002, through March 1,

2003, inclusive, in the respective aggregate quantity of goods the

product of a foreign country specified below, after which no such

goods the product of such country may be entered during the remainder

of such period under this subheading:

European Community................................

104,987,486 kg

Trinidad and Tobago..................................

61,716,789 kg

Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia,

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova,

Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan,

Ukraine and Uzbekistan...........................

47,034,377 kg

All other countries......................................

159,076,170 kg

###