[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 206 (Friday, October 24, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60923-60925]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-26841]


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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 Thailand

October 20, 2003.
AGENCY: Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA).

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner, Bureau of Customs and 
Border Protection establishing limits.

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EFFECTIVE DATE: January 1, 2004.

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 Bureau of Customs 
and Border Protection website at http://www.customs.gov. For 
information on embargoes and quota re-openings, refer to the Office of 
Textiles and Apparel website at http://otexa.ita.doc.gov.

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 Thailand and exported during the period January 1, 2004 
through December 31, 2004 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, Bureau of Customs and Border Protection to establish the 
2004 limits. Carryforward applied to the 2003 limits is being deducted 
from the 2004 limits.

[[Page 60924]]

    These limits are subject to adjustment pursuant to the provisions 
of the ATC and administrative arrangements notified to the Textiles 
Monitoring Body. However, as the ATC and all restrictions thereunder 
will terminate on January 1, 2005, no adjustment for carryforward 
(borrowing from next year's limits for use in the current year) will be 
available.
    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 68 FR 1599, published on January 13, 2003). Information 
regarding the 2004 CORRELATION will be published in the Federal 
Register at a later date.

James C. Leonard III,
Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements

October 20, 2003.

Commissioner,
Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, 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, 2004, 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 
Thailand and exported during the twelve-month period beginning on 
January 1, 2004 and extending through December 31, 2004.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 Category                   Twelve-month restraint limit
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Level not in a Group                        ............................
239pt. \1\................................  3,201,966 kilograms.
Levels in Group I                           ............................
200.......................................  2,089,800 kilograms.
218.......................................  30,612,223 square meters.
219.......................................  11,145,613 square meters.
300.......................................  8,359,209 kilograms.
301-P \2\.................................  8,359,209 kilograms.
301-O \3\.................................  1,581,515 kilograms.
313-O \4\.................................  39,009,643 square meters.
314-O \5\.................................  89,164,893 square meters.
315-O \6\.................................  55,728,057 square meters.
317-O/326-O \7\...........................  23,395,178 square meters.
363.......................................  36,223,238 numbers.
369-S \8\.................................  557,281 kilograms.
604.......................................  1,303,847 kilograms of which
                                             not more than 835,920
                                             kilograms shall be in
                                             Category 604-A \9\.
611-O \10\................................  14,320,376 square meters.
613/614/615...............................  84,222,635 square meters of
                                             which not more than
                                             49,040,692 square meters
                                             shall be in Categories 613/
                                             615 and not more than
                                             49,040,692 square meters
                                             shall be in Category 614.
617.......................................  30,413,728 square meters.
619.......................................  11,861,336 square meters.
620.......................................  11,861,336 square meters.
625/626/627/628/629.......................  23,237,686 square meters of
                                             which not more than
                                             19,504,820 square meters
                                             shall be in Category 625.
Group II                                    ............................
237, 331pt.\11\, 332-348, 351, 352, 359pt.  464,223,863 square meters
 \12\, 433-438, 440, 442-448, 459pt. \13\,   equivalent.
 631pt. \14\, 633-648, 651, 652, 659-H
 \15\, 659pt. \16\, 845, 846 and 852, as a
 group
Sublevels in Group II                       ............................
331pt./631pt..............................  916,059 dozen pairs.
334/634...................................  1,086,698 dozen.
335/635...................................  813,336 dozen.
336/636...................................  557,281 dozen.
338/339...................................  2,641,739 dozen.
340.......................................  484,950 dozen.
341/641...................................  1,184,222 dozen.
342/642...................................  1,030,970 dozen.
345.......................................  500,812 dozen.
347/348...................................  1,345,444 dozen.
351/651...................................  395,378 dozen.
659-H.....................................  2,228,640 kilograms.
433.......................................  10,634 dozen.
434.......................................  13,127 dozen.
435.......................................  59,650 dozen.
438.......................................  19,690 dozen.
442.......................................  22,865 dozen.
638/639...................................  3,113,478 dozen.
640.......................................  919,510 dozen.
645/646...................................  557,281 dozen.
647/648...................................  1,876,726 dozen.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Category 239pt.: only HTS number 6209.20.5040 (diapers).
\2\ Category 301-P: only HTS numbers 5206.21.0000, 5206.22.0000,
  5206.23.0000, 5206.24.0000, 5206.25.0000, 5206.41.0000, 5206.42.0000,
  5206.43.0000, 5206.44.0000 and 5206.45.0000.
\3\ Category 301-O: only HTS numbers 5205.21.0020, 5205.21.0090,
  5205.22.0020, 5205.22.0090, 5205.23.0020, 5205.23.0090, 5205.24.0020,
  5205.24.0090, 5205.26.0020, 5205.26.0090, 5205.27.0020, 5205.27.0090,
  5205.28.0020, 5205.28.0090, 5205.41.0020, 5205.41.0090, 5205.42.0020,
  5205.42.0090, 5205.43.0020, 5205.43.0090, 5205.44.0020, 5205.44.0090,
  5205.46.0020, 5205.46.0090, 5205.47.0020, 5205.47.0090, 5205.48.0020
  and 5205.48.0090.
\4\ Category 313-O: all HTS numbers except 5208.52.3035, 5208.52.4035
  and 5209.51.6032.
\5\ Category 314-O: all HTS numbers except 5209.51.6015.
\6\ Category 315-O: all HTS numbers except 5208.52.4055.
\7\ Category 317-O: all HTS numbers except 5208.59.2085; Category 326-O:
  all HTS numbers except 5208.59.2015, 5209.59.0015 and 5211.59.0015.
\8\ Category 369-S: only HTS number 6307.10.2005.
\9\ Category 604-A: only HTS number 5509.32.0000.
\10\ Category 611-O: all HTS numbers except 5516.14.0005, 5516.14.0025
  and 5516.14.0085.
\11\ Categories 331pt.: all HTS numbers except 6116.10.1720,
  6116.10.4810, 6116.10.5510, 6116.10.7510, 6116.92.6410, 6116.92.6420,
  6116.92.6430, 6116.92.6440, 6116.92.7450, 6116.92.7460, 6116.92.7470,
  6116.92.8800, 6116.92.9400 and 6116.99.9510.
\12\ Category 359pt.: all HTS numbers except 6115.19.8010, 6117.10.6010,
  6117.20.9010, 6203.22.1000, 6204.22.1000, 6212.90.0010, 6214.90.0010,
  6406.99.1550, 6505.90.1525, 6505.90.1540, 6505.90.2060 and
  6505.90.2545.
\13\ Category 459pt.: all HTS numbers except 6115.19.8020, 6117.10.1000,
  6117.10.2010, 6117.20.9020, 6212.90.0020, 6214.20.0000, 6405.20.6030,
  6405.20.6060, 6405.20.6090, 6406.99.1505 and 6406.99.1560.
\14\ Category 631pt.: all HTS numbers except 6116.10.1730, 6116.10.4820,
  6116.10.5520, 6116.10.7520, 6116.93.8800, 6116.93.9400, 6116.99.4800,
  6116.99.5400 and 6116.99.9530.
\15\ 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.
\16\ Category 659pt.: all HTS numbers except 6502.00.9030, 6504.00.9015,
  6504.00.9060, 6505.90.5090, 6505.90.6090, 6505.90.7090, 6505.90.8090
  (Category 659-H); 6115.11.0010, 6115.12.2000, 6117.10.2030,
  6117.20.9030, 6212.90.0030, 6214.30.0000, 6214.40.0000, 6406.99.1510
  and 6406.99.1540.

    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 2003 shall be 
charged to the applicable category limits for that year (see 
directives dated October 8, 2002.) 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.
    The conversion factors for Category 659-H and merged Categories 
638/639 are 11.5 and 12.96, respectively.
    In carrying out the above directions, the Commissioner, Bureau 
of Customs and Border Protection should construe entry into

[[Page 60925]]

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,
James C. Leonard III,
Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.
[FR Doc. 03-26841 Filed 10-23-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DR-S