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Background Notes: Ecuador, November 1998 Released by the Bureau of Inter-American Affairs U.S. Department of State

OFFICIAL NAME: Republic of Ecuador

PROFILE

Geography

Area: 283,560 sq. km.; about the size of Colorado.
Cities: Capital--Quito (pop. 1.5 million). Other cities--Guayaquil (2.0 million).
Terrain: Jungle east of the Andes, a rich agricultural coastal plain west of the Andes, and high-elevation valleys through the mountainous center of the country.
Climate: Varied, mild year-round in the mountain valleys; hot and humid in coastal and Amazonian jungle lowlands.

People

Nationality: Noun and adjective--Ecuadoran(s).
Population (July 1997 est.): 12.1 million.
Annual growth rate: 3.4%.
Ethnic groups: Indigenous 25%, mestizo (mixed indigenous--Caucasian) 65%, Caucasian and others 7%, African 3%.
Religion: Predominantly Roman Catholic, but religious freedom recognized.
Languages: Spanish (official), indigenous languages, especially Quichua, the Ecuadoran dialect of Quechua.
Education: Years compulsory--ages 6-14, but enforcement varies. Attendance (through 6th grade)--76% urban, 33% rural. Literacy--90%.
Health: Infant mortality rate--33.4/1,000. Life expectancy--71.4 yrs.
Work force (4.8 million): Agriculture--42%. Commerce--20%. Services--19%. Manufacturing--11%. Other--8%.

Government

Type: Republic.
Constitution: 1979.
Independence: May 24, 1822 (from Spain).
Branches: Executive--president and 14 cabinet ministers. Legislative--121-member unicameral Congress. Judicial--Supreme Court, Provincial Courts, and ordinary civil and criminal judges.
Administrative subdivisions: 22 provinces.
Political parties: 11 political parties; none predominates.
Suffrage: Obligatory for literate citizens 18-65 yrs. of age; optional for other eligible voters; active duty military personnel may not vote.

Economy (1997)

GDP: $20.0 billion.
Real annual growth rate: 1994, 4.3%; 1995, 2.3%; 1996, 2.0%; 1997, 3.4%.
Per capita GDP: $1,675.
Natural resources: petroleum, fish, shrimp, timber, gold, limestone.
Agriculture (12% of GDP): bananas, seafood, coffee, cacao, sugar, rice, corn, and livestock.
Industry (41% of GDP--non-oil manufacturing 21%): petroleum extraction, food processing, wood products, textiles, chemicals and pharmaceuticals.
Trade: Exports--$5.3 billion: petroleum and petroleum products, bananas, shrimp, coffee, flowers, cocoa. Major markets--U.S. 39%, Latin America 25%, European Union (EU) 22%, and Asia 12%. Imports--$3.5 billion: agricultural and industrial machinery, industrial raw materials, agricultural commodities, chemical products, transportation and communication equipment, petroleum products. Major suppliers--Latin America 35%, U.S. 31%, EU 19%, and Asia 11%.

PEOPLE

Ecuador's population is ethnically mixed. The largest ethnic groups are indigenous and mestizo (mixed Indian-Caucasian). Although Ecuadorans were heavily concentrated in the mountainous central highland region a few decades ago, today's population is divided about equally between that area and the coastal lowlands. Migration toward cities--particularly larger cities--in all regions has increased the urban population to about 55%. The tropical forest region to the east of the mountains remains sparsely populated and contains only about 3% of the population.

The public education system is tuition-free, and attendance is mandatory from ages 6 to 14. In practice, however, many children drop out before age 15, and, in rural areas only about one-third complete sixth grade. The government is striving to create better programs for the rural and urban poor, especially in technical and occupational training. In recent years, it has also been successful in reducing illiteracy. Enrollment in primary schools has been increasing at an annual rate of 4.4%--faster than the population growth rate. According to the 1979 constitution, the central government must allocate at least 30% of its revenue to education; in practice, however, it allots a much smaller percentage.

Public universities have an open admissions policy. In recent years, however, large increases in the student population, budget difficulties, and extreme politicization of the university system have led to a decline in academic standards.

HISTORY

Advanced indigenous cultures flourished in Ecuador long before the area was conquered by the Inca empire in the 15th century. In 1534, the Spanish arrived and defeated the Inca armies, and Spanish colonists became the new elite. The indigenous population was decimated by disease in the first decades of Spanish rule--a time when the natives were also forced into the "encomienda" labor system for Spanish landlords. In 1563, Quito became the seat of a royal "audiencia" (administrative district) of Spain.

After independence forces defeated the royalist army in 1822, Ecuador joined Simon Bolivar's Republic of Gran Colombia, only to become a separate republic in 1830. The 19th century was marked by instability, with a rapid succession of rulers. The conservative Gabriel Garcia Moreno unified the country in the 1860s with the support of the Catholic Church. In the late 1800s, world demand for cocoa tied the economy to commodity exports and led to migrations from the highlands to the agricultural frontier on the coast. A coastal-based liberal revolution in 1895 under Eloy Alfaro reduced the power of the clergy and opened the way for capitalist development.

The end of the cocoa boom produced renewed political instability and a military coup in 1925. The 1930s and 1940s were marked by populist politicians such as five-time president Jose Velasco Ibarra. In January 1942, Ecuador signed the Rio Protocol to end a brief war with Peru the year before; Ecuador agreed to a border that conceded to Peru much territory Ecuador previously had claimed in the Amazon. After World War II, a recovery in the market for agricultural commodities and the growth of the banana industry helped restore prosperity and political peace. From 1948-60, three presidents--beginning with Galo Plaza--were freely elected and completed their terms.

Recession and popular unrest led to a return to populist politics and domestic military interventions in the 1960s, while foreign companies developed oil resources in the Ecuadoran Amazon. In 1972, a nationalist military regime seized power and used the new oil wealth and foreign borrowing to pay for a program of industrialization, land reform, and subsidies for urban consumers. With the oil boom fading, Ecuador returned to democracy in 1979, but by 1982 the government faced a chronic economic crisis, including inflation, budget deficits, a falling currency, mounting debt service, and uncompetitive industries.

The 1984 presidential elections were narrowly won by Leon Febres-Cordero of the Social Christian Party (PSC). During the first years of his administration, Febres-Cordero introduced free-market economic policies, took strong stands against drug trafficking and terrorism, and pursued close relations with the United States. His tenure was marred by bitter wrangling with other branches of government and his own brief kidnaping by elements of the military. A devastating earthquake in March 1987 interrupted oil exports and worsened the country's economic problems.

Rodrigo Borja of the Democratic Left (ID) party won the presidency in 1988. His government was committed to improving human rights protection and carried out some reforms, notably an opening of Ecuador to foreign trade. The Borja Government concluded an accord leading to the disbanding of the small terrorist group, "Alfaro Lives." However, continuing economic problems undermined the popularity of the ID, and opposition parties gained control of Congress in 1990.

In 1992, Sixto Duran-Ballen won in his third run for the presidency. His government's popularity suffered from tough macroeconomic adjustment measures, but it succeeded in pushing a limited number of modernization initiatives through Congress. Duran-Ballen's vice president, Alberto Dahik, was the architect of the administration's economic policies, but in 1995, Dahik fled the country to avoid prosecution on corruption charges following a heated political battle with the opposition. A war with Peru erupted in January-February 1995 in a small, remote region where the boundary prescribed by the 1942 Rio Protocol was in dispute.

Abdala Bucaram, from the Guayaquil-based Ecuadorian Roldosista Party (PRE), won the presidency in 1996 on a platform that promised populist economic and social reforms and the breaking of what Bucaram termed as the power of the nation's oligarchy. During his short term of office, Bucaram's administration drew criticism for corruption. Bucaram was deposed by the Congress in February 1997 on grounds of alleged mental incompetence. In his place, Congress named Interim President Fabian Alarcon, who had been President of Congress and head of the small Radical Alfarist Front party. Alarcon's interim presidency was endorsed by a May 1997 popular referendum.

Congressional and first-round presidential elections were held on May 31, 1998. No presidential candidate obtained a majority, so a run-off election between the top two candidates, Quito Mayor Jamil Mahuad of the Popular Democracy party and Alvaro Noboa, was held on July 12, 1998. Mahuad won by a narrow margin. He took office on August 10, 1998. On the same day, Ecuador's new constitution came into effect.

GOVERNMENT

The constitution provides for concurrent 4-year terms of office for the president, vice president, and members of congress. Presidents may be re-elected after an intervening term, while legislators may be re-elected immediately.

The executive branch includes 17 ministries and several cabinet-level secretariats headed by presidential appointees. The president also appoints Ecuador's provincial governors, who represent the central government at the local level. Provincial prefects and councilors, like municipal mayors and aldermen, are directly elected.

Each 2 years legislators elect from among themselves a president and vice president of Congress. Congress meets for 2 months a year. For the remainder of the year--unless an extraordinary plenary session is called--all legislative business is transacted by the 35 members of the Congress who serve on five permanent committees.

Ecuador has a three-tiered court system. Justices of the Supreme Court are appointed by the Congress for 6-year terms. The Supreme Court names the members of the superior (provincial) courts, who, in turn, choose ordinary civil and penal judges.

Principal Government Officials

Executive Branch
Chief of State
President--Jamil MAHUAD Witt (since August 10, 1998)

Head of Government
President--Jamil MAHUAD Witt (since August 10, 1998)
Vice President--Gustavo Noboa
Minister of Foreign Affairs--Jose AYALA Lasso
Charge D'Affaires, Embassy of Ecuador in Washington--Fernando Flores
Ambassador to the UN--Luis Valencia
Ambassador to the OAS--Julio Prado

Ecuador maintains an embassy in the United States at 2535 - 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 (tel. 202-234-7200) and consulates in Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, and San Francisco.

Legislative Branch
Unicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional (121 seats; 20 members popularly elected at large nationally, 101 members popularly elected by province.)

POLITICAL CONDITIONS

Ecuador's political parties have historically been small, loose organizations that depended more on populist, often charismatic, leaders to retain support than on programs or ideology. Frequent internal splits have produced extreme factionalism. However, a pattern has emerged in which administrations from the center-left alternate with those from the center-right. Although Ecuador's political elite is highly factionalized along regional, ideological, and personal lines, a strong desire for consensus on major issues often leads to compromise. Opposition forces in Congress are loosely organized, but historically they often unite to block the administration's initiatives and to remove cabinet ministers.

Constitutional changes enacted by a specially elected National Constitutional Assembly in 1998 took effect on August 10, 1998. The new constitution strengthens the executive branch by eliminating mid-term congressional elections and by circumscribing Congress' power to challenge cabinet ministers. Party discipline is traditionally weak, and routinely many deputies switch allegiance during each Congress. However, after the new Constitution took effect, the Congress passed a code of ethics which imposes penalties on members who defy their party leadership on key votes.

Beginning with the 1996 election, the indigenous population abandoned its traditional policy of shunning the official political system and participated actively. The indigenous population has established itself as a significant force in Ecuadoran politics, as shown by the selection of indigenous representative Nina Pacari, who leads the indigenous political party, Pachakutik, as second vice president of the 1998 congress. The next presidential and Congressional elections are currently scheduled for 2002.

ECONOMY

Ecuador's gross domestic product (GDP) reached $20.0 billion in 1997. This represents growth of 3.4% over 1996. The economy depends heavily on petroleum production, along with exports of agricultural commodities and seafood. The state oil industry makes up 10% of GDP, generates 37% of total exports, and provides about 30% of government revenue. Agriculture contributes 12% of GDP.

Ecuador is a major world producer of bananas and shrimp. Cocoa, coffee, and tuna are also exported. Non-traditional agricultural products, such as flowers and winter vegetables, are becoming more important. Industry accounts for 41% of GDP, and is becoming increasingly oriented to the export market. Ecuador's merchandise exports for 1997 were $5.3 billion and its imports $4.6 billion. Lower trade barriers in the region, including free-trade agreements with Colombia, Venezuela, and Bolivia are helping manufacturers become more export oriented. Ecuador has reduced most tariffs to 5-20% and in January 1995, instituted a common external tariff with Colombia and Venezuela.

Ecuador acceded to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1995. The government has committed to address remaining obstacles to trade, including agricultural price bands, minimum import prices, and sanitary registrations. Ecuador passed comprehensive legislation setting forth protections for intellectual property rights in May 1998.

Ecuador has a unified, free market in foreign exchange. During the oil boom of the 1970s, the government borrowed heavily from abroad, increased subsidies, and expanded the state's economic role. Such policies became unsustainable, leading to chronic macroeconomic instability in the 1980s.

President Duran-Ballen took office in 1992 promising to stabilize the economy, modernize the state, and expand the free market. A sizable devaluation of the sucre in 1992, large public-sector price hikes, market pricing of fuel, and spending reductions--together with monetary, budget, and tax reforms--reduced the public deficit. Inflation also fell from 60% to about 25%, but increased again to 30% in 1997. In 1998, the sucre was devalued twice, and interest rates were raised to as high as 73%.

The Mahuad administration took office facing an unsustainable fiscal deficit, at a time when, partly due to global economic problems, investors were unwilling to loan money to Ecuador. The structural reforms required to improve prospects for investment and growth have been difficult to achieve.

The government has suggested plans to partially privatize some of the major state enterprises, and has obtained legal authority to privatize 35% of the telephone service. However, two auctions of the telephone company scheduled for late 1997 and early 1998 had to be canceled for lack of bidders. There is substantial political opposition to privatization proposals.

Efforts to reform the social security system in early 1998 failed after opponents organized massive demonstrations. Investment regulations afford foreign investors national treatment--including equal tax rates--and do not require prior authorization for investment in most industries. A bilateral investment treaty with the United States approved in 1994 and ratified in May 1997 provides for transfers of capital and profits and a binding arbitration dispute settlement procedure. The 1994 agrarian development law has improved the security of agricultural land tenure. The 1993 hydrocarbons law made investment in petroleum exploration more attractive, and U.S. firms initiated and expanded projects.

However, U.S. firms doing business in Ecuador have complained of being pressured into contract renegotiations by the government. Several U.S. firms have had large judgments entered against them in Ecuadoran courts under a law which permitted the firms' local partners to disregard the terms of their contracts. This law, the Dealer's Act, was repealed in 1997 but remains in effect with regard to contracts entered into prior to the repeal.

In September 1998, President Mahuad announced the cancellation of subsidies on electricity, cooking gas, and fuel. At the same time, the government initiated a new system of cash assistance to poor mothers and the elderly. The net effect of these changes was to reduce the government's fiscal deficit. Mahuad's economic cabinet has entered discussions with the IMF concerning a possible standby agreement, which would open the door to possible rescheduling of debt payments.

FOREIGN RELATIONS

Ecuador always has placed great emphasis on multilateral approaches to international problems. Ecuador is a member of the United Nations (and most of its specialized agencies) and the Organization of American States. Ecuador is also a member of many regional groups, including the Rio Group, the Latin American Economic System, the Latin American Energy Organization, the Latin American Integration Association, and the Andean Pact.

Ecuador's border dispute with Peru, festering since the independence era, has been the nation's principal foreign policy issue. For more than 50 years, Ecuador maintained that the 1942 Rio Protocol of Peace, Friendship and Boundaries left several issues unresolved. For example, it asserted that geographic features in the area of the Cenepa River Valley did not match the topographical descriptions in the Protocol, thus making demarcation of the boundary there "inexecutable."

This long-running border dispute occasionally erupted into armed hostility along the undemarcated sections. The most serious conflict since the 1941 war occurred in January-February 1995, when thousands of soldiers from both sides fought an intense but localized war in the disputed territory in the upper Cenepa valley. A peace agreement brokered by the four Guarantors of the Rio Protocol (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and the United States) in February 1995 led to the cessation of hostilities and the establishment of the Military Observers Mission to Ecuador-Peru (MOMEP) to monitor the zone. In 1996, Ecuador and Peru began a series of meetings intended to set the stage for substantive negotiations to resolve the dispute.

Those talks were successful. In January 1998, Ecuador and Peru initialed an historic agreement in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which provided a framework to resolve the major outstanding issues between the two countries through four commissions. The commissions were to prepare a Treaty of Commerce and Navigation and a Comprehensive Agreement on Border Integration; to fix on the ground the common land boundary; and to establish a Binational Commission on Mutual Confidence Measures and Security. The commissions began work in February, with the intention of reaching a definitive agreement by May 30, 1998. The commissions on border integration and mutual confidence measures successfully concluded their work, and the commission working on a treaty of commerce and navigation produced a draft treaty text, but the commission on border demarcation failed to produce agreement by May 30. A flare-up in military tensions in the disputed region in August 1998 led to the creation of a temporary second MOMEP-patrolled demilitarized zone just south of the first demilitarized zone. Presidents Mahuad and Fujimori established direct communication by meetings and phone calls in an effort to overcome the two countries' remaining differences. In October 1998, after asking for and receiving a boundary determination from the guarantors, the two Presidents reached agreement. On October 26, 1998, at a ceremony in Brasilia, Presidents Fujimori and Mahuad and their Foreign Ministers signed a comprehensive settlement.

U.S.-ECUADORAN RELATIONS

The United States and Ecuador have maintained close ties based on mutual interests in maintaining democratic institutions; combating narcotrafficking; building trade, investment, and financial ties; cooperating in fostering Ecuador's economic development; and participating in inter-American organizations. Ties are further strengthened by the presence of an estimated 150,000-200,000 Ecuadorans living in the United States and by 24,000 U.S. citizens visiting Ecuador annually and by approximately 15,000 U.S. citizens residing in Ecuador. The United States assists Ecuador's economic development directly through the Agency for International Development (USAID) program in Ecuador and through multilateral organizations such as the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank. In addition, the U.S. Peace Corps operates a sizable program in Ecuador. Over 100 U.S. companies are doing business in Ecuador.

Both nations are signatories of the Rio Treaty of 1947, the Western Hemisphere's regional mutual security treaty. Ecuador shares U.S. concern over increasing narcotrafficking and international terrorism and has energetically condemned terrorist actions, whether directed against government officials or private citizens. The government has maintained Ecuador virtually free of coca production since the mid-1980s and is working to combat money laundering and the transshipment of drugs and chemicals essential to the processing of cocaine.

The United States claims jurisdiction for the management of coastal fisheries up to 320 kilometers (200 mi.) from its coast, but excludes highly migratory species. Ecuador, on the other hand, claims a 320-kilometer-wide (200-mi.) territorial sea, and imposes license fees and fines on foreign fishing vessels in the area, making no exceptions for catches of migratory species. In the early 1970s, Ecuador seized about 100 foreign-flag vessels (many of them U.S.) and collected fees and fines of more than $6 million. After a drop-off in such seizures for some years, several U.S. tuna boats were again detained and seized in 1980 and 1981. The U.S. Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act then triggered an automatic prohibition of U.S. imports of tuna products from Ecuador. The prohibition was lifted in 1983, and although fundamental differences between U.S. and Ecuadoran legislation still exist, there is no current conflict. During the period that has elapsed since seizures which triggered the tuna import ban, successive Ecuadoran governments have declared their willingness to explore possible solutions to this problem with mutual respect for long-standing positions and principles of both sides.

Principal U.S. Embassy Officials

Ambassador-Designate--Ibonne A-Baki
Deputy Chief of Mission--James Curtis Struble
Political and Labor--Stuart Symington
Economic--Michael Glover
Commercial--Robert Jones
Consular--Joyce De Shazo
Administrative--Earl Ferguson
Public Affairs Advisor--Mark Krischik
Regional Security Officer--Lanny Bernier
USAID--Hilda Arellano
Defense Attache--Col. Phillip Stewart, USA
MilGroup--Col. James Willey, USA
Peace Corps--Marcy Kelley
Agriculture--Daryl Brehm (resident in Lima)
Narcotics Assistance Staff--James F. Greene
INS--Charles Aycock

Guayaquil
Consul General--Timothy Dunn
Chief, Consular Section--Steven Hardesty

The U.S. Embassy in Ecuador is located at Avenida Patria 120, Quito (tel. (593)(2) 562-890/561-634). Embassy Internet Home Page: http://www.usis.org.ec. The Consulate General is at 9 de Octubre and Garcia Moreno, Guayaquil (tel. (593)(4) 323-570).

Other Contact Information

U.S. Department of Commerce
International Trade Administration
Trade Information Center
14th and Constitution Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20230
Tel: 1-800-USA-TRADE
Internet: http://www.ita.doc.gov

Ecuadorian-American Chamber of Commerce - Quito
Edificio Multicentro, 4 Piso
La Nina y Avenida 6 de Diciembre
Quito, Ecuador
Tel: (5932) 507-450
Fax: (5932) 504-571
E-Mail: CCEA1@ACCEA.ORG.EC or CCEA2@ACCEA.ORG.EC
(Branches: Ambato, Cuenca & Manta)

Ecuadorian-American Chamber of Commerce - Guayaquil
G. Cordova 812, Piso 3, Oficina 1
Edificio Torres de la Merced
Guayaquil, Ecuador
Tel: (5934) 566-481 or 565-761
Fax: (5934) 563-259
E-Mail: caecam1@caecam.org.ec
(Branch: Manchala)

TRAVEL AND BUSINESS INFORMATION

The U.S. Department of State's Consular Information Program provides Travel Warnings and Consular Information Sheets. Travel Warnings are issued when the State Department recommends that Americans avoid travel to a certain country. Consular Information Sheets exist for all countries and include information on immigration practices, currency regulations, health conditions, areas of instability, crime and security, political disturbances, and the addresses of the U.S. posts in the country. Public Announcements are issued as a means to disseminate information quickly about terrorist threats and other relatively short-term conditions overseas which pose significant risks to the security of American travelers. Free copies of this information are available by calling the Bureau of Consular Affairs at 202-647-5225 or via the fax-on-demand system: 202-647-3000. Travel Warnings and Consular Information Sheets also are available on the Consular Affairs Internet home page: http://travel.state.gov and the Consular Affairs Bulletin Board (CABB). To access CABB, dial the modem number: 301-946-4400 (it will accommodate up to 33,600 bps), set terminal communications program to N-8-1(no parity, 8 bits, 1 stop bit); and terminal emulation to VT100. The login is travel and the password is info. (Note: Lower case is required). The CABB also carries international security information from the Overseas Security Advisory Council and Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security. Consular Affairs Trips for Travelers publication series, which contain information on obtaining passports and planning a safe trip abroad, can be purchased from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954; telephone: 202-512-1800; fax 202-512-2250.

Emergency information concerning Americans traveling abroad may be obtained from the Office of Overseas Citizens Services at (202) 647-5225. For after-hours emergencies, Sundays and holidays, call 202-647-4000.

Passport Services information can be obtained by calling the 24-hour, 7-day a week automated system ($.35 per minute) or live operators 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (EST) Monday-Friday ($1.05 per minute). The number is 1-900-225-5674 (TDD: 1-900-225-7778). Major credit card users (for a flat rate of $4.95) may call 1-888-362-8668 (TDD: 1-888-498-3648).

Travelers can check the latest health information with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm. A hotline at 877-394-8747 gives the most recent health advisories, immunization recommendations or requirements, and advice on food and drinking water safety for regions and countries. A booklet entitled Health Information for International Travel (HHS publication number CDC-95-8280) is available from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402, tel. (202) 512-1800.

Information on travel conditions, visa requirements, currency and customs regulations, legal holidays, and other items of interest to travelers also may be obtained before your departure from a country's embassy and/or consulates in the U.S. (for this country, see "Principal Government Officials" listing in this publication).

U.S. citizens who are long-term visitors or traveling in dangerous areas are encouraged to register at the U.S. embassy upon arrival in a country (see "Principal U.S. Embassy Officials" listing in this publication). This may help family members contact you in case of an emergency.

Further Electronic Information

Department of State Foreign Affairs Network. Available on the Internet, DOSFAN provides timely, global access to official U.S. foreign policy information. Updated daily, DOSFAN includes Background Notes; Dispatch, the official magazine of U.S. foreign policy; daily press briefings; Country Commercial Guides; directories of key officers of foreign service posts; etc. DOSFAN's World Wide Web site is at http://www.state.gov.

U.S. Foreign Affairs on CD-ROM (USFAC). Published on an annual basis by the U.S. Department of State, USFAC archives information on the Department of State Foreign Affairs Network, and includes an array of official foreign policy information from 1990 to the present. Contact the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954. To order, call (202) 512-1800 or fax (202) 512-2250.

National Trade Data Bank (NTDB). Operated by the U.S. Department of Commerce, the NTDB contains a wealth of trade-related information. It is available on the Internet (www.stat-usa.gov) and on CD-ROM. Call the NTDB Help-Line at (202) 482-1986 for more information.

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