[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 234 (Friday, December 5, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64361-64362]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-31884]


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COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS


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

December 1, 1997.
AGENCY: Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA).

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

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EFFECTIVE DATE: January 1, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Janet Heinzen, 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: Section 204 of the Agricultural Act of 1956, as 
amended (7 U.S.C. 1854); Executive Order 11651 of March 3, 1972, as 
amended.

    The import restraint limits for textile products, produced or 
manufactured in the Philippines and exported during the period January 
1, 1998 through December 31, 1998 are based on limits notified to the 
Textiles Monitoring Body pursuant to the Uruguay Round Agreement on 
Textiles and Clothing (ATC).
    Pursuant to the provisions of the ATC, the second stage of the 
integration commences on January 1, 1998 (see 60 FR 21075, published on 
May 1, 1995). Accordingly, certain previously restrained categories may 
have been modified or eliminated and certain limits may have been 
revised. Integrated products will no longer be subject to quota. CITA 
has informed the Philippines of its intent to continue the bilateral 
visa arrangement for those products.
    In the letter published below, the Chairman of CITA directs the 
Commissioner of Customs to establish the 1998 limits.
    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

[[Page 64362]]

Federal Register notice 61 FR 66263, published on December 17, 1996). 
Also see 62 FR 51832, published on October 3, 1997. Information 
regarding the 1998 CORRELATION will be published in the Federal 
Register at a later date.
Troy H. Cribb,
Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements
December 1, 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); Executive Order 11651 of 
March 3, 1972, as amended; and the Uruguay Round Agreement on 
Textiles and Clothing (ATC), you are directed to prohibit, effective 
on January 1, 1998, entry into the United States for consumption and 
withdrawal from warehouse for consumption of cotton, wool and man-
made fiber textiles and textile products and silk blend and other 
vegetable fiber apparel in the following categories, produced or 
manufactured in the Philippines and exported during the twelve-month 
period beginning on January 1, 1998 and extending through December 
31, 1998, in excess of the following levels of restraint:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 Category                   Twelve-month restraint limit
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Levels in Group I                                                       
237.......................................  1,778,722 dozen.            
331/631...................................  5,760,064 dozen pairs.      
333/334...................................  278,639 dozen of which not  
                                             more than 40,002 dozen     
                                             shall be in Category 333.  
335.......................................  181,366 dozen.              
336.......................................  660,007 dozen.              
338/339...................................  2,205,492 dozen.            
340/640...................................  979,367 dozen.              
341/641...................................  883,755 dozen.              
342/642...................................  570,873 dozen.              
345.......................................  170,005 dozen.              
347/348...................................  2,000,023 dozen.            
350.......................................  150,499 dozen.              
351/651...................................  622,650 dozen.              
352/652...................................  2,445,309 dozen.            
359-C/659-C \1\...........................  845,963 kilograms.          
431.......................................  170,585 dozen pairs.        
433.......................................  3,359 dozen.                
443.......................................  40,616 numbers.             
445/446...................................  27,742 dozen.               
447.......................................  7,713 dozen.                
633.......................................  36,784 dozen.               
634.......................................  456,391 dozen.              
635.......................................  347,263 dozen               
636.......................................  1,720,018 dozen.            
638/639...................................  2,265,641 dozen.            
643.......................................  878,616 numbers.            
645/646...................................  754,665 dozen.              
647/648...................................  1,206,794 dozen.            
649.......................................  7,616,022 dozen.            
650.......................................  107,717 dozen.              
659-H \2\.................................  1,417,273 kilograms.        
847.......................................  940,051 dozen.              
Group II                                                                
200-227, 300-326, 332, 359-O \3\, 360,      189,927,480 square meters   
 361, 362, 363, 369-S \4\, 369-O \5\, 400-   equivalent.                
 414, 434-438, 440, 442, 444, 448, 459pt.                               
 \6\, 464, 469pt. \7\, 600-611, 613-629,                                
 644, 659-O \8\, 666, 669-O \9\, 670-O                                  
 \10\, 831, 833-838, 840-846, 850-858 and                               
 859pt. \11\, as a group.                                               
Sublevel in Group II                                                    
361.......................................  1,901,046 numbers.          
369-S.....................................  430,919 kilograms.          
604.......................................  2,015,470 kilograms.        
611.......................................  5,705,190 square meters.    
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Category 359-C: only HTS numbers 6103.42.2025, 6103.49.8034,        
  6104.62.1020, 6104.69.8010, 6114.20.0048, 6114.20.0052, 6203.42.2010, 
  6203.42.2090, 6204.62.2010, 6211.32.0010, 6211.32.0025 and            
  6211.42.0010; Category 659-C: only HTS numbers 6103.23.0055,          
  6103.43.2020, 6103.43.2025, 6103.49.2000, 6103.49.8038, 6104.63.1020, 
  6104.63.1030, 6104.69.1000, 6104.69.8014, 6114.30.3044, 6114.30.3054, 
  6203.43.2010, 6203.43.2090, 6203.49.1010, 6203.49.1090, 6204.63.1510, 
  6204.69.1010, 6210.10.9010, 6211.33.0010, 6211.33.0017 and            
  6211.43.0010.                                                         
\2\ Category 659-H: only HTS numbers 6502.00.9030, 6504.00.9015,        
  6504.00.9060, 6505.90.5090, 6505.90.6090, 6505.90.7090 and            
  6505.90.8090.                                                         
\3\ Category 359-O: all HTS numbers except 6103.42.2025, 6103.49.8034,  
  6104.62.1020, 6104.69.8010, 6114.20.0048, 6114.20.0052, 6203.42.2010, 
  6203.42.2090, 6204.62.2010, 6211.32.0010, 6211.32.0025, 6211.42.0010  
  (Category 359-C); and 6406.99.1550 (359pt.).                          
\4\ Category 369-S: only HTS number 6307.10.2005.                       
\5\ Category 369-O: all HTS numbers except 6307.10.2005 (Category 369-  
  S); 5601.10.1000, 5601.21.0090, 5701.90.1020, 5701.90.2020,           
  5702.10.9020, 5702.39.2010, 5702.49.1020, 5702.49.1080, 5702.59.1000, 
  5702.99.1010, 5702.99.1090, 5705.00.2020 and 6406.10.7700 (Category   
  369pt.).                                                              
\6\ Category 459pt.: all HTS numbers except 6405.20.6030, 6405.20.6060, 
  6405.20.6090, 6406.99.1505 and 6406.99.1560.                          
\7\ Category 469pt.: all HTS numbers except 5601.29.0020, 5603.94.1010  
  and 6406.10.9020.                                                     
\8\ Category 659-O: all HTS numbers except 6103.23.0055, 6103.43.2020,  
  6103.43.2025, 6103.49.2000, 6103.49.8038, 6104.63.1020, 6104.63.1030, 
  6104.69.1000, 6104.69.8014, 6114.30.3044, 6114.30.3054, 6203.43.2010, 
  6203.43.2090, 6203.49.1010, 6203.49.1090, 6204.63.1510, 6204.69.1010, 
  6210.10.9010, 6211.33.0010, 6211.33.0017, 6211.43.0010 (Category 659- 
  C); 6502.00.9030, 6504.00.9015, 6504.00.9060, 6505.90.5090,           
  6505.90.6090, 6505.90.7090, 6505.90.8090 (Category 659-H);            
  6406.99.1510 and 6406.99.1540 (Category 659pt.).                      
\9\ Category 669-O: all HTS numbers except 6305.32.0010, 6305.32.0020,  
  6305.33.0010, 6305.33.0020, 6305.39.0000 (Category 669-P);            
  5601.10.2000, 5601.22.0090, 5607.49.3000, 5607.50.4000 and            
  6406.10.9040 (Category 669pt.).                                       
\10\ Category 670-O: all HTS numbers except 4202.12.8030, 4202.12.8070, 
  4202.92.3020, 4202.92.3030 and 4202.92.9025 (Category 670-L).         
\11\ Category 859pt.: only HTS numbers 6115.19.8040, 6117.10.6020,      
  6212.10.5030, 6212.10.9040, 6212.20.0030, 6212.30.0030, 6212.90.0090, 
  6214.10.2000 and 6214.90.0090.                                        

    The limits set forth above are subject to adjustment pursuant to 
the provisions of the ATC and administrative arrangements notified 
to the Textiles Monitoring Body.
    Products in the above categories exported during 1997 shall be 
charged to the applicable category limits for that year (see 
directive dated November 29, 1996) to the extent of any unfilled 
balances. In the event the limits established for that period have 
been exhausted by previous entries, such products shall be charged 
to the limits set forth in this directive.
    Products for integration in 1998 listed in the Federal Register 
notice published on May 1, 1995 (60 FR 21075) which are exported 
during 1997 shall be charged to the applicable limits to the extent 
of any unfilled balances. After January 1, 1998, should those 
unfilled balances be exhausted, such products shall no longer be 
charged to any limit, due to integration of these products into GATT 
1994.
    CITA has informed the Philippines of its intent to continue the 
bilateral visa arrangement for those products. An export visa will 
continue to be required, if applicable, for products integrated on 
and after January 1, 1998, before entry is permitted into the United 
States.
    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).
    Sincerely,
Troy H. Cribb,
Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.
[FR Doc. 97-31884 Filed 12-4-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F