The White House
  
                   Office of the Press Secretary
  
  _______________________________________________________________
  
  For Immediate Release                          October 17, 1996
  
  
  
                Text Of A Letter From The President
           To The Speaker Of The House Of Representatives
                  And The President Of The Senate
  
  
  
  
                          October 17, 1996
  
  
  
  
  Dear Mr. Speaker:   (Dear Mr. President:)
  
  The Generalized System of Preferences (Gsp) program offers 
  duty-free treatment to specified products that are imported 
  from designated developing countries.  The program is authorized 
  by title V of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended.
  
  Pursuant to title V, I have determined that Malaysia should 
  be graduated from the Gsp program because it is sufficiently 
  advanced in economic development and improved in trade 
  competitiveness.  I have also determined that certain products 
  from Pakistan should be suspended from duty-free treatment under 
  the Gsp program because it is not making sufficient progress in 
  protecting basic labor rights.  In addition, I have determined 
  that Botswana and Western Samoa should be deleted from the list 
  of least-developed beneficiary developing countries and Angola, 
  Ethiopia, Madagascar, Zaire, and Zambia should be added to that 
  list.  Finally, I have determined that Cyprus, Aruba, Macau, the 
  Netherlands Antilles, Greenland, and the Cayman Islands meet the 
  definition of "high income" country as defined by the statistics 
  of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and 
  are subject to mandatory graduation.
  
  The action regarding Malaysia and designation of least-developed 
  beneficiary developing countries is effective January 1, 1997.  
  The action against Pakistan is retroactive to July 1, 1996.  
  The mandatory graduation of high income countries is effective 
  January 1, 1998.
  
  This notice is submitted in accordance with the requirements 
  of title V of the Trade Act of 1974.
  
                                Sincerely,
  
  
  
  
                                William J. Clinton
  
  
  
  
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