[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 18 (Tuesday, January 28, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4034-4035]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-2048]



[[Page 4034]]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------


COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Announcement of Import Restraint Limits for Certain Cotton, Wool, 
Man-Made Fiber, Silk Blend and Other Vegetable Fiber Textiles and 
Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in Romania

January 22, 1997.
AGENCY: Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA).

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs establishing 
limits.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

EFFECTIVE DATE: January 30, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Naomi Freeman, International Trade 
Specialist, Office of Textiles and Apparel, U.S. Department of 
Commerce, (202) 482-4212. For information on the quota status of these 
limits, refer to the Quota Status Reports posted on the bulletin boards 
of each Customs port or call (202) 927-5850. For information on 
embargoes and quota re-openings, call (202) 482-3715.

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); Uruguay Round Agreements Act.

    Pursuant to the Uruguay Round Agreements Act and the Uruguay Round 
Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC), the Bilateral Textile and 
Apparel Agreement of December 20, 1994, as amended and extended by a 
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) dated December 15, 1995, between the 
Governments of the United States and Romania, establishes limits for 
the period beginning on January 1, 1997 and extending through December 
31, 1997.
    In the letter published below, the Chairman of CITA directs the 
Commissioner of Customs to establish the 1997 limits. The limit for 
Categories 433/434 has been reduced for carryforward applied to the 
1996 limit.
    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 61 FR 66263, published on December 17, 1996).
    The letter to the Commissioner of Customs and the actions taken 
pursuant to it are not designed to implement all of the provisions of 
the Uruguay Round Agreements Act, the Uruguay Round Agreement on 
Textiles and Clothing, bilateral agreement and the MOU, but are 
designed to assist only in the implementation of certain of their 
provisions.
Troy H. Cribb,
Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements
January 22, 1997.

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

    Dear Commissioner: Pursuant to section 204 of the Agricultural 
Act of 1956, as amended (7 U.S.C. 1854); the Uruguay Round 
Agreements Act and the Uruguay Round Agreement on Textiles and 
Clothing (ATC), and the Bilateral Textile and Apparel Agreement of 
December 20, 1994, as amended and extended by a Memorandum of 
Understanding (MOU) dated December 15, 1995, between the Governments 
of the United States and Romania; and in accordance with the 
provisions of Executive Order 11651 of March 3, 1972, as amended, 
you are directed to prohibit, effective on January 30, 1997, entry 
into the United States for consumption and withdrawal from warehouse 
for consumption of cotton, wool, man-made fiber, silk blend and 
other vegetable fiber textiles and textile products in the following 
categories, produced or manufactured in Romania and exported during 
the twelve-month period beginning on January 1, 1997 and extending 
through December 31, 1997, in excess of the following levels of 
restraint:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 Category                        Twelve-month limit     
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cotton Group                                                            
200, 201, 218-220, 222-227, 229, 237, 239,  61,602,210 square meters    
 300, 301, 313-315, 317, 326, 330-342,       equivalent.                
 345, 347-354, 359-363, 369, 800, 810, 831-                             
 836, 838-840, 842-847, 850-852, 858, 859,                              
 863, 870, 871 and 899, as a group.                                     
Sublevels in Cotton Group                                               
237.......................................  65,575 dozen.               
313.......................................  1,797,674 square meters.    
314.......................................  1,348,255 square meters.    
315.......................................  3,244,578 square meters.    
333/833...................................  128,503 dozen.              
334.......................................  310,607 dozen.              
335/835...................................  162,772 dozen.              
338/339...................................  702,488 dozen.              
340.......................................  306,631 dozen.              
341/840...................................  128,503 dozen.              
347/348...................................  548,284 dozen.              
350.......................................  29,025 dozen.               
352.......................................  195,454 dozen.              
359.......................................  701,087 kilograms.          
360.......................................  1,811,805 numbers.          
361.......................................  1,207,870 numbers.          
369.......................................  318,008 kilograms.          
810.......................................  4,494,185 square meters.    
836.......................................  60,394 dozen.               
847.......................................  80,625 dozen.               
Group III                                                               
431-436, 438-440, 442-448, 459, 630-654     70,245,156 square meters    
 and 659, as a group.                        equivalent.                
Sublevels in Group III                                                  
433/434...................................  8,822 dozen.                
435.......................................  9,809 dozen.                
442.......................................  11,361 dozen.               
443.......................................  87,639 numbers.             
444.......................................  41,314 numbers.             
447/448...................................  22,784 dozen.               
459.......................................  34,444 kilograms.           
633.......................................  48,066 dozen.               
634.......................................  58,385 dozen.               
638/639...................................  634,351 dozen.              
640.......................................  87,245 dozen.               
641.......................................  37,818 dozen.               
647.......................................  87,801 dozen.               
648.......................................  62,799 dozen.               
659.......................................  110,673 kilograms.          
Levels not in a group                                                   
410.......................................  169,315 square meters.      
465.......................................  131,220 square meters.      
604.......................................  1,616,275 kilograms.        
618.......................................  1,818,577 square meters.    
666.......................................  126,483 kilograms.          
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Imports charged to these category limits for the period January 
1, 1996 through December 31, 1996 shall be charged against those 
levels of restraint to the extent of any unfilled balances. In the 
event the limits established for that period have been exhausted by 
previous entries, such goods shall be subject to the levels set 
forth in this directive.
    The conversion factors for the following merged categories are 
listed below:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                              Conversion factor (square 
                 Category                    meters equivalent/category 
                                                        unit)           
------------------------------------------------------------------------
341/840...................................  12.1.                       
433/434...................................  35.2.                       
638/639...................................  12.96.                      
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The limits set forth above are subject to adjustment in the 
future according to the provisions of the Uruguay Round Agreements 
Act, the ATC and any administrative arrangements notified to the 
Textiles Monitoring Body.
    In carrying out the above directions, the Commissioner of 
Customs should construe entry into the United States for consumption 
to include entry for consumption into the Commonwealth of Puerto 
Rico.
    The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements has 
determined that these actions fall within the foreign affairs 
exception of the rulemaking provisions of 5 U.S.C. 553(a)(1).

[[Page 4035]]

    Sincerely,
Troy H. Cribb,
Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.
[FR Doc. 97-2048 Filed 1-27-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F