[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 176 (Tuesday, September 13, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-22642]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: September 13, 1994]


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COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

 

Establishment of a New Export Visa Arrangement for Certain 
Cotton, Wool, Man-Made Fiber, Silk-blend and Non-Cotton Vegetable Fiber 
Textiles and Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in Laos

September 8, 1994.
AGENCY: Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA).

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs establishing 
export visa requirements.

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EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 1994.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Tallarico, International 
Trade Specialist, Office of Textiles and Apparel, U.S. Department of 
Commerce, (202) 482-4212.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

    Authority: Executive Order 11651 of March 3, 1972, as amended; 
section 204 of the Agricultural Act of 1956, as amended (7 U.S.C. 
1854).

    The Governments of the United States and the Lao People's 
Democratic Republic reached agreement, effected by exchange of notes 
dated November 8, 1993, to establish an export visa arrangement for 
certain cotton, wool, man-made fiber, silk-blend and non-cotton 
vegetable fiber textiles and textile products, produced or manufactured 
in the Lao People's Democratic Republic and exported from the Lao 
People's Democratic Republic on and after October 1, 1994. Goods 
exported during the period October 1, 1994 through October 15, 1994 
shall not be denied entry for lack of a visa. All goods exported after 
October 15, 1994 must be accompanied by an appropriate export visa.
    A description of the textile and apparel categories in terms of HTS 
numbers is available in the CORRELATION: Textile and Apparel Categories 
with the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (see Federal 
Register notice 58 FR 62645, published on November 29, 1993).
    Interested persons are advised to take all necessary steps to 
ensure that textile products that are entered into the United States 
for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, will meet 
the visa requirements set forth in the letter published below to the 
Commissioner of Customs.
D. Michael Hutchinson,
Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile 
Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements
September 8, 1994.

Commissioner of Customs,
Department of the Treasury, Washington, DC 20229.

    Dear Commissioner: Under the terms of section 204 of the 
Agricultural Act of 1956, as amended (7 U.S.C. 1854), and the 
Arrangement Regarding International Trade in Textiles done at Geneva 
on December 20, 1973, as further extended on December 9, 1993; 
pursuant to the Visa Arrangement of November 8, 1993, between the 
Governments of the United States and the Lao People's Democratic 
Republic; and in accordance with the provisions of Executive Order 
11651 of March 3, 1972, as amended, you are directed to prohibit, 
effective on October 1, 1994, entry into the Customs territory of 
the United States (i.e., the 50 states, the District of Columbia and 
the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico) for consumption and withdrawal from 
warehouse for consumption of cotton, wool, man-made fiber, silk-
blend, and non-cotton vegetable fiber textiles and textile products 
in Categories 200-239, 300-369, 400-469, 600-670, and 800-899, 
including merged and part categories, produced or manufactured in 
the Lao People's Democratic Republic and exported from the Lao 
People's Democratic Republic on and after October 1, 1994 for which 
the Government of the Lao People's Democratic Republic has not 
issued an appropriate export visa fully described below. Should 
additional categories, merged categories or part categories be added 
to the bilateral agreement, the entire category(s) or part 
category(s) shall be included in the coverage of this arrangement on 
an agreed effective date. Goods exported during the period October 
1, 1994 through October 15, 1994 shall not be denied entry for lack 
of a visa.
    A visa must accompany each commercial shipment of the 
aforementioned textile products. A circular stamped marking in blue 
ink will appear on the front of the original commercial invoice. The 
original visa shall not be stamped on duplicate copies of the 
invoice. The original invoice with the original visa stamp will be 
required to enter the shipment into the United States. Duplicates of 
the invoice and/or visa may not be used for this purpose.
    Each visa stamp shall include the following information:
    1. The visa number. The visa number shall be in the standard 
nine digit letter format, beginning with one numerical digit for the 
last digit of the year of export, followed by the two character 
alpha country code specified by the International Organization for 
Standardization (ISO)(the code for the Lao People's Democratic 
Republic is ``LA''), and a six digit numerical serial number 
identifying the shipment; e.g., 4LA123456.
    2. The date of issuance. The date of issuance shall be the day, 
month and year on which the visa was issued.
    3. The signature and the printed name of the issuing official.
    4. The correct category(s), merged category(s), part 
category(s), quantity(s) and unit(s) of quantity in the shipment as 
set forth in the U.S. Department of Commerce Correlation (e.g., 
``Cat. 340-510 DOZ'').
    Quantities must be stated in whole numbers. Decimals or 
fractions will not be accepted. Merged category quota merchandise 
may be accompanied by either the appropriate merged category visa or 
the correct category visa corresponding to the actual shipment 
(e.g., Categories 347/348 may be visaed as 347/348 or if the 
shipment consists solely of 347 merchandise, the shipment may be 
visaed as ``Cat. 347,'' but not as ``Cat. 348'').
    U.S. Customs shall not permit entry if the shipment does not 
have a visa, or if the visa number, date of issuance, signature, 
printed name of signer, category, quantity or units of quantity are 
missing, incorrect or illegible, or have been crossed out or altered 
in any way. If the quantity indicated on the visa is less than that 
of the shipment, entry shall not be permitted. If the quantity 
indicated on the visa is more than that of the shipment, entry shall 
be permitted and only the amount entered shall be charged to any 
applicable quota.
    The complete name and address of a company actually involved in 
the manufacturing process of the textile product covered by the visa 
shall be provided on the textile visa document.
    If the visa is not acceptable then a new visa must be obtained 
from the Government of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, or a 
visa waiver may be issued by the U.S. Department of Commerce at the 
request of the Government of Lao People's Democratic Republic, and 
presented to the U.S. Customs Service before any portion of the 
shipment will be released. The waiver, if used, only waives the 
requirement to present a visa with the shipment. It does not waive 
the quota requirement.
    If import quotas are in force, U.S. Customs Service shall charge 
only the actual quantity in the shipment to the correct category 
limit. If a shipment from Laos has been allowed entry into the 
commerce of the United States with either an incorrect visa or no 
visa, and redelivery is requested but cannot be made, U.S. Customs 
shall charge the shipment to the correct category limit whether or 
not a replacement visa or visa waiver is provided.
    Merchandise imported for the personal use of the importer and 
not for resale, regardless of value, and properly marked commercial 
sample shipments valued at U.S.$250 or less, do not require a visa 
for entry.
    A facsimile of the visa stamp is enclosed with this letter.
    The actions taken concerning the Government of the Lao People's 
Democratic Republic with respect to imports of textiles and textile 
products in the foregoing categories have been determined by the 
Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements to involve 
foreign affairs functions of the United States. Therefore, these 
directions to the Commissioner of Customs, which are necessary for 
the implementation of such actions, fall within the foreign affairs 
exception to the rulemaking provisions of 5 U.S.C. 553(a)(1). This 
letter will be published in the Federal Register.
    Sincerely,
D. Michael Hutchinson,
Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile 
Agreements.

TN13SE94.002


[FR Doc. 94-22642 Filed 9-12-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F