According to the ITA, the petitioner, International Imaging Materials, Inc. (IIMAK), alleged that respondents in the three concurrent investigations of TTR (France, Japan, and South Korea) would attempt to circumvent the order by slitting jumbo rolls in third countries. Therefore, the ITA states that IIMAK requested that slitting does not change the country of origin of TTR for AD duty purposes.

The Journal of Commerce reports that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Robert Bonner has said that within 60 days CBP will resolve with industry differences over the definition of "shipper" on international cargo manifests. (CBP has announced that it is delaying the full enforcement of the term "shipper" for inbound ocean cargo. See ITT's Online Archives or 02/24/04 news, 04022405, for BP summary.) (JoC Online dated 03/05/04, www.joc.com.)

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued an administrative message announcing that an Automated Broker Interface (ABI) program correction was implemented on March 3, 2004 that corrects the 'BN' reject problem that filers of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) prior notice 'WP' in-bond application were experiencing.

The Washington Trade Daily (WTD) reports that the free trade negotiations that began with Bahrain in January 2004 are nearly half completed, with an negotiations possibly being completed as early as June. The WTD states that the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) believes Kuwait, Yemen, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) could possibly dock into this agreement. (WTD Pub 03/04/04, www.washingtontradedaily.com)

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted to its Web site the Winter 2003 issue of its "ACE Modernization Monitor" newsletter.

On May 20, 2003, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) issued a proposed rule to require imported solid wood packing material (SWPM) to be either heat treated or fumigated with methyl bromide, as well as marked, prior to importation, in accordance with the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM) 15 entitled "Guidelines for Regulating Wood Packaging Material in International Trade." ISPM 15 was approved by the Interim Commission on Phytosanitary Measures of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) on March 15, 2002.

In a February 11, 2004 speech, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Robert Bonner announced that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is considering a new "Immigration Security Initiative." According to the speech, as it is under consideration, ISI teams of CBP officers would work with the National Targeting Center, the foreign authorities, the air carriers, and other U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies to: (1) utilize advance manifest information to identify potentially high-risk passengers; (2) work with the airlines and the host-nation authorities to question the high-risk passengers and examine their travel documents; and (3) make a determination whether the high-risk passengers are admissible into the U.S. prior to boarding. Commissioner Bonner stated that he would propose that ISI be piloted at 5 to 10 foreign hub airports and that ISI be evaluated and then expanded. (CBP Commissioner's speech, dated 02/11/04, available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/commissioner/speeches_statements/mar032004.xml.)

The International Trade Administration (ITA) has initiated an antidumping (AD) duty changed circumstances review of polychloroprene rubber from Japan to determine whether Showa Denko K.K. (SDK) is the successor-in-interest to Showa DDE Manufacturing K.K. (SDEM) and DDE Japan Kabushiki Kaisha (DDE Japan) (collectively SDEM/DDE Japan) for purposes of AD duty liability.

(a) For previously reviewed or investigated companies not listed above, the cash deposit rate will continue to be the company-specific rate published for the most recent period.

(a) Chandan and Isibars have an AD rate of zero; no cash deposits will be required although suspension of liquidation will continue