Notice of Opportunity to Apply to Serve on the Board

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

Notice of Opportunity to Apply to Serve on the Board

AGENCY: International Trade Administration, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of Opportunity to Apply to Serve on the Board of the

United States-India Commercial Alliance.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce is currently seeking applications

for three individuals to serve on the U.S. section of the Board of the

United States-India Commercial Alliance (USICA). On January 16, 1995,

Ronald H. Brown, U.S. Secretary of Commerce, and Pranab Mukherjee,

India's Minister of Commerce, signed terms of reference creating USICA.

On October 17, 1996, Michael Kantor, U.S. Secretary of Commerce, and

B.B. Ramaiah, India's Minister of Commerce, signed an agreement

extending USICA for two years, until January 15, 1999. The purpose of

USICA is to facilitate the further development of commercial relations,

trade, and investment between U.S. and Indian private sector

businesses. USICA is administered and its activities are coordinated by

a Board composed of an equal number of private sector representatives

from the United States and India. U.S. and Indian Board members are

selected by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce and Indian Minister of

Commerce, respectively. The work of the USICA, which includes trade

missions, conferences, and roundtables bringing together business

persons from the United States and India, currently is focused on four

economic sectors: information technology, transportation and

infrastructure, food processing and packaging (``agribusiness''), and

power. Individual Board members generally concentrate their efforts on

one of these sectors.

Further Information: Private sector representatives will be

appointed to the Board for a two year term, or until January 15, 1999,

if USICA is not extended beyond its current expiration date.

Applications are now being sought for private sector members to serve

for a term beginning February 9, 1998. Private sector members will

serve at the discretion of the Secretary. They are expected to

participate fully in defining the agenda for USICA and in implementing

its work program. It is expected that private sector individuals chosen

for the USICA Board will attend at least 75% of USICA meetings which

will be held in the U.S. and India.

Private sector Board members are fully responsible for travel,

living and personal expenses associated with their participation in

USICA. The private sector Board members will serve in a representative

capacity presenting the views and interests of the particular business

sector in which they operate; private sector Board members are not

special government employees.

USICA works on issues of common interest to encourage bilateral

trade and investment, including, but not limited to, the following:

--Implementing trade/business development and promotion programs

including trade missions, conferences, exhibits, seminars and other

events, and

--Adopting sectoral or project oriented approaches to expand business

opportunities and discussing concerns relating to expanding commercial

opportunities

Selection: There are ten positions on the U.S. side of the USICA

Board, of which three are currently vacant. This notice is seeking

applications for those three positions.

Eligibility requirements. Applicants must be:

A U.S. citizen residing in the United States or a

permanent United States resident;

A CEO or other top management level employee of a U.S.

company or organization involved in commercial activities between the

United States and India;

A member of a leading business association; and

Not a registered foreign agent under the Foreign Agents

Registration Act of 1938 (FARA).

In reviewing eligible applicants, the Commerce Department will

consider:

The applicant's expertise in one of the following business

sectors in which USICA is active: transportation and infrastructure,

and food processing and packaging (agribusiness);

Readiness to initiate and be responsible for USICA

activities in the business sectors in which USICA is active;

Ability to contribute in light of overall Board

composition (for example, to ensure balance in representation of

industry sectors):

Diversity of company size, type, location, demographics or

additional under-representation in business.

To be considered for membership, please provide the following: name

and title of the individual requesting consideration; name and address

of the company or organization sponsoring each individual; company's

product or service line; size of the company; export experience and

major markets; a brief statement of why each candidate should be

considered for membership on the USICA Board; the particular segment of

the business community each candidate would represent; a personal

resume; and a statement that the applicant is not a registered foreign

agent under FARA.

Deadline: In order to receive full consideration, requests must be

received no later than: January 20, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Please send your requests for consideration to Richard D.

Harding, Director, Office of South Asia and Oceania, U.S. Department of

Commerce, Room 2308, 14th St. and Constitution

[[Page 66342]]

Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20230, fax (202) 482-5330.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard D. Harding, Director, Office

of South Asia and Oceania, U.S. Department of Commerce, Room 2308, 14th

St. and Constitution Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20230, telephone

(202) 482-2955, fax (202) 482-5330.

Authority: 15 U.S.C. 1512.

Dated: December 12, 1997.

Peter Hale,

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Asia and the Pacific.

[FR Doc. 97-33053 Filed 12-17-97; 8:45 am]

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