Amendments to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) Implementing the Understandings Reached at the June 2003 Australia Group (AG) Plenary Meeting and a Subsequent AG Intersessional Decision on Certain Animal Pathogens

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) is publishing this final rule to describe the understandings reached at the June 2003 plenary meeting of the Australia Group (AG) and to amend the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), as needed, to implement these AG understandings. Specifically, this final rule amends the EAR by adding twelve new viruses and two new bacteria to the list of AG-controlled human and zoonotic pathogens and toxins described on the Commerce Control List (CCL). This rule also amends the EAR to implement an AG intersessional decision, which was adopted after the June 2003 AG plenary meeting, by adding two viruses to the list of AG-controlled animal pathogens described on the CCL. Finally, this rule updates the list of countries that are currently States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) by adding nine countries that recently became States Parties: Afghanistan, Belize, Cape Verde, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Sao Tome and Principe, Timor Leste, Tonga, and Tuvalu.