[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 249 (Tuesday, December 29, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71622-71623]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-34328]


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COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS


Amendment of Coverage of Unit of Quantity Requirement for Textile 
and Apparel Products Produced or Manufactured in Various Countries

December 21, 1998.
AGENCY: Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA).

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs amending 
coverage of the requirement that visa quantities be in whole numbers 
only.

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EFFECTIVE DATE: January 1, 1999.

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

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.

    As stated in the notice and letter to the Commissioner of Customs 
dated November 30, 1998, published in the Federal Register on December 
4, 1998 (see 63 FR 67053), the United States Government has notified 
all countries with visa arrangements with the United States of the 
requirement to issue visas in whole numbers. Effective on January 1, 
1999, the following countries shall be excluded from this requirement: 
Bangladesh, Egypt, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and Turkey. For these 
five countries, Customs will not deny visas solely because they have 
decimals or fractions. However, Customs will continue to charge in 
whole units using standard rounding procedures.
    The requirement for the use of whole numbers will be effective only 
for goods exported on and after January 1, 1999. For those countries in 
which the visa arrangement already requires the use of whole numbers, 
this requirement continues to apply.
    In the letter published below, the Chairman of CITA directs the 
Commissioner of Customs to exclude the aforementioned countries from 
the requirement that the quantity stated on the visa be listed in whole 
numbers only. Also, the Commissioner of Customs is directed to 
implement the November 30, 1998 directive for textile

[[Page 71623]]

products exported on and after January 1, 1999.
Troy H. Cribb,
Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements
December 21, 1998.

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

    Dear Commissioner: This directive amends, but does not cancel, 
the directive issued to you on November 30, 1998, by the Chairman, 
Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements. That 
directive directs you to require that shipment quantities of textile 
and apparel products entered into the United States be stated on the 
visa in whole numbers only.
    Effective on January 1, 1999, you are directed to exclude 
Bangladesh, Egypt, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and Turkey from this 
requirement. For these five countries, Customs will not deny visas 
solely because they have decimals or fractions. However, Customs 
will continue to charge in whole units, using standard rounding 
procedures.
    The requirement for the use of whole numbers will be effective 
only for goods exported on and after January 1, 1999. For those 
countries in which the visa arrangement already requires the use of 
whole numbers, this requirement continues to apply.
    The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements has 
determined that these actions fall within the foreign affairs 
exception to 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. 98-34328 Filed 12-28-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F