For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
January 13, 2003
Statement on Afghanistan
On January 10, 2003, President Bush signed a proclamation designating
Afghanistan as a beneficiary developing country under the Generalized
System of Preferences (GSP) program. As a least-developed GSP
beneficiary country, Afghanistan will be able to take advantage of
duty-free tariff treatment into the United States on approximately
5,700 products.
This GSP designation marks an important step in Afghanistan's
return to the world trading system. Increased opportunities for trade
will help Afghanistan build an economy that can offer its citizens a
more prosperous future.
GSP is a program that grants duty-free treatment to specified
products that are imported from more than 140 designated developing
countries and territories. GSP was reauthorized when President Bush
signed the Trade Act of 2002 on August 6, 2002. This program
underscores the Administration's commitment to providing trade
opportunities to developing countries as a way to encourage broad-based
economic development.
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