[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 215 (Friday, November 6, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59945-59946]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-29832]


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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 Malaysia

November 3, 1998.
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, 1999.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ross Arnold, 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, call (202) 927-5850, or refer to the U.S. Customs 
website at http://www.customs.ustreas.gov. 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 Malaysia and exported during the period January 1, 1999 
through December 31, 1999 are based on limits notified to the Textiles 
Monitoring Body pursuant to the Uruguay Round Agreement on Textiles and 
Clothing (ATC). In the letter published below, the Chairman of CITA 
directs the Commissioner of Customs to establish the 1999 limits. The 
1999 limit for Categories 347/348 is being decreased for carryforward 
applied to the 1998 limit.
    Effective on January 1, 1999, a visa will no longer be required for 
products integrated in the second stage of the integration of textiles 
and clothing into GATT 1994 from WTO member countries (see 63 FR 53881, 
published on October 7, 1998). A visa will continue to be required for 
non-integrated products. For quota purposes only, products remaining in 
categories partially integrated will continue to be designated by the 
designator ``pt.''
    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 62 FR 66057, published on December 17, 1997). 
Information regarding the 1999 CORRELATION will be published in the 
Federal Register at a later date.
D. Michael Hutchinson,
Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile 
Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements
November 3, 1998.

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, 1999, 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 Malaysia and exported during the twelve-month period 
beginning on January 1, 1999 and extending through December 31, 
1999, in excess of the following limits:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 Category                   Twelve-month restraint limit
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fabric Group
218-220, 225-227, 313-315, 317, 326, 611-O  134,499,315 square meters
 \1\, 613/614/615/617, 619 and 620, as a     equivalent.
 group.
Sublevels within the group
218.......................................  7,716,910 square meters.
219.......................................  37,384,140 square meters.
220.......................................  37,384,140 square meters.
225.......................................  37,384,140 square meters.
226.......................................  37,384,140 square meters.
227.......................................  37,384,140 square meters.
313.......................................  44,586,589 square meters.
314.......................................  53,641,038 square meters.
315.......................................  37,384,140 square meters.
317.......................................  37,384,140 square meters.
326.......................................  7,229,250 square meters.
611-O.....................................  4,337,550 square meters.
613/614/615/617...........................  42,912,832 square meters.
619.......................................  5,783,401 square meters.
620.......................................  7,229,250 square meters.
Other specific limits
200.......................................  325,418 kilograms.
237.......................................  437,848 dozen.
300/301...................................  3,451,423 kilograms.
331/631...................................  2,369,696 dozen pairs.
333/334/335/835...........................  271,755 dozen of which not
                                             more than 163,053 dozen
                                             shall be in Category 333
                                             and not more than 163,053
                                             dozen shall be in Category
                                             835.
336/636...................................  527,616 dozen.
338/339...................................  1,308,086 dozen.
340/640...................................  1,523,665 dozen.
341/641...................................  1,974,727 dozen of which not
                                             more than 704,485 dozen
                                             shall be in Category 341.
342/642/842...............................  472,990 dozen.
345.......................................  181,376 dozen.
347/348...................................  523,769 dozen.

[[Page 59946]]

350/650...................................  170,579 dozen.
351/651...................................  293,492 dozen.
363.......................................  4,597,802 numbers.
435.......................................  15,664 dozen.
438-W \2\.................................  12,818 dozen.
442.......................................  19,088 dozen.
445/446...................................  30,299 dozen.
604.......................................  1,513,372 kilograms.
634/635...................................  921,663 dozen.
638/639...................................  542,928 dozen.
645/646...................................  415,264 dozen.
647/648...................................  1,954,189 dozen of which not
                                             more than 1,367,930 dozen
                                             shall be in Category 647-K
                                             \3\ and not more than
                                             1,367,930 dozen shall be in
                                             Category 648-K \4\.
Group II
201, 222-224, 239pt. \5\, 332, 352, 359pt.  44,117,960 square meters
 \6\, 360-362, 369pt. \7\, 400-431, 433,     equivalent.
 434, 436, 438-O \8\, 440, 443, 444, 447,
 448, 459pt. \9\, 464, 469pt. \10\, 600-
 603, 606, 607, 618, 621, 622, 624-629,
 633, 643, 644, 649, 652, 659pt. \11\,
 666, 669pt. \12\, 670, 831, 833, 834,
 836, 838, 840, 843-858 and 859pt. \13\,
 as a group.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\Category 611-O: all HTS numbers except 5516.14.0005, 5516.14.0025 and
  5516.14.0085
\2\ Category 438-W: only HTS numbers 6104.21.0060, 6104.23.0020,
  6104.29.2051, 6106.20.1010, 6106.20.1020, 6106.90.1010, 6106.90.1020,
  6106.90.2520, 6106.90.3020, 6109.90.1540, 6109.90.8020, 6110.10.2080,
  6110.30.1560, 6110.90.9074 and 6114.10.0040.
\3\ Category 647-K: only HTS numbers 6103.23.0040, 6103.23.0045,
  6103.29.1020, 6103.29.1030, 6103.43.1520, 6103.43.1540, 6103.43.1550,
  6103.43.1570, 6103.49.1020, 6103.49.1060, 6103.49.8014, 6112.12.0050,
  6112.19.1050, 6112.20,.1060 and 6113.00.9044.
\4\ Category 648-K: only HTS numbers 6104.23.0032, 6104.23.0034,
  6104.29.1030, 6104.29.1040, 6104.29.2038, 6104.63.2006, 6104.63.2011,
  6104.63.2026, 6104.63.2028, 6104.63.2030, 6104.63.2060, 6104.69.2030,
  6104.69.2060, 6104.69.8026, 6112.12.0060, 6112.19.1060, 6112.20.1070,
  6113.00.9052 and 6117.90.9070.
\5\ Category 239pt.: only HTS number 6209.20.5040 (diapers).
\6\ Category 359pt.: all HTS numbers except 6406.99.1550.
\7\ Category 369pt.: all HTS numbers except 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.
\8\ Category 438-O: only HTS numbers 6103.21.0050, 6103.23.0025,
  6105.20.1000, 6105.90.1000, 6105.90.8020, 6109.90.1520, 6110.10.2070,
  6110.30.1550, 6110.90.9072, 6114.10.0020 and 6117.90.9025.
\9\ Category 459pt.: all HTS numbers except 6405.20.6030, 6405.20.6060,
  6405.20.6090, 6405.99.1505 and 6406.99.1560.
\10\ Category 469pt.: all HTS numbers except 5601.29.0020, 5603.94.1010
  and 6406.10.9020.
\11\ Category 659pt.: all HTS numbers except 6406.99.1510 and
  6406.99.1540.
\12\ Category 669pt.: all HTS numbers except 5601.10.2000, 5601.22.0090,
  5607.49.3000, 5607.50.4000 and 6406.10.9040.
\13\ 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 1998 shall be 
charged to the applicable category limits for that year (see the 
December 22, 1997 directive) 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.
    Effective on January 1, 1999, a visa will no longer be required 
for products integrated in the second stage of the integration of 
textiles and clothing into GATT 1994 from WTO member countries (see 
directive dated September 30, 1998). A visa will continue to be 
required for non-integrated products. For quota purposes only, 
products remaining in categories partially integrated will continue 
to be designated by the designator ``pt.''
    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,
D. Michael Hutchinson,
Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile 
Agreements.
[FR Doc. 98-29832 Filed 11-5-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F