[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 240 (Monday, December 15, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69669-69670]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E3-00554]


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COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS


Announcement of Import Restraint Limits for Certain Wool Textile 
Products Produced or Manufactured in the Slovak Republic

December 10, 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: 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, 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 Web site 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 the Slovak Republic 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).
    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.
    In the letter published below, the Chairman of CITA directs the 
Commissioner, Bureau of Customs and Border Protection to establish the 
2004 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 Federal 
Register notice 68 FR 1599, published on January 13, 2003). Information 
regarding the availability of 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

December 10, 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 wool textile products 
in the following categories, produced or manufactured in the Slovak 
Republic and exported during the twelve-month period beginning on 
January 1, 2004 and extending through December 31, 2004 in excess of 
the following limits:

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                 Category                   Twelve-month restraint limit
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410.......................................  462,435 square meters.
433.......................................  12,915 dozen.
435.......................................  19,509 dozen.
443.......................................  107,901 numbers.
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    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 
directive dated November 1, 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.
    In carrying out the above directions, the Commissioner, Bureau 
of Customs and Border Protection should construe entry into the 
United States for consumption to include

[[Page 69670]]

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. E3-00554 Filed 12-12-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DR-S