[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 248 (Wednesday, December 28, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Page 76785]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-7947]


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COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS


Entry of Shipments of Wool and Man-Made Fiber Textiles and 
Apparel in Excess of 2005 Agreement Limits

December 21, 2005.
AGENCY: The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (the 
Committee).

ACTION: Directive to Commissioner, Customs and Border Protection.

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ross Arnold, International Trade 
Specialist, Office of Textiles and Apparel, U.S. Department of 
Commerce, (202) 482-3400.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

    Authority: Executive Order 11651 of March 3, 1972, as amended; 
Section 204 of the Agricultural Act of 1956, as amended (7 U.S.C. 
1854).
    In the letter to the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection published below, U.S. Customs and Border Protection is 
directed to implement staged entry limits for Belarus for shipments in 
excess of 2005 agreement limits.
    CITA has previously established a policy of only allowing entry of 
shipments in excess of quota limits once a new quota year has begun, 
and there is an agreement with the exporting country that allows 
overshipments to be charged to the subsequent year's quotas. In a 
Federal Register Notice published on June 25, 2004, CITA announced that 
it had come to CITA's attention that some textile and apparel products 
may be shipped in excess of agreed quota limits in 2004 with the 
expectation that those shipments will be allowed entry upon the 
expiration of the limits, and CITA noted that shipments exported in 
excess of agreed limits are a violation of the terms of those 
agreements. (69 FR 35586) In that Notice, CITA expressly reserved the 
right to deny entry to goods that have been shipped in excess of agreed 
limits or to stage entry for goods exported in excess of agreed limits. 
In the absence of an arrangement with Belarus to allow the entry in 
2006 of overshipments of the 2005 textile agreement limits, to be 
charged to 2006 quota limits, and until such time as such an 
arrangement is agreed upon, shipments in excess of the 2005 limits for 
imports of textile products from Belarus will be subject to delayed and 
staged entry.
    For all shipments exported in 2005 that exceed the applicable 2005 
agreed quota limits from Belarus, entry will not be permitted until 
February 1, 2006. From February 1 through February 28, 2006, entry will 
be permitted to goods in an amount equal to 5 percent of the applicable 
2005 base quota limit. For each succeeding month, beginning on the 
first day of the month and extending through the last day of the month, 
entry will be permitted to goods in an amount equal to 5 percent of the 
applicable base 2005 quota limit, until all shipments in excess of the 
quota limits have been entered.
    The 5 percent staged entry limits described above are published in 
the following letter to the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection.

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

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements

December 21, 2005.

Commissioner,
Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, Washington, DC 20229.
    Dear Commissioner: This directive provides instructions on 
permitting entry to goods shipped in excess of 2005 quota limits for 
Belarus.
    For all shipments exported in 2005 that exceed the applicable 
2005 agreed quota limits for Belarus, you are directed to deny entry 
until February 1, 2006, subject to the following procedure. From 
February 1 through February 28, 2006, you are directed to permit 
entry to goods in an amount equal to 5 percent of the applicable 
2005 base quota limit. For each succeeding month, beginning on the 
first day of the month and extending through the last day of the 
month, you are directed to permit entry to goods in an amount equal 
to 5 percent of the applicable base 2005 quota limit, until all 
shipments in excess of the quota limits have been entered.
    The monthly 5 percent staged entry limits described above are 
listed below:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 Category                   5 percent of 2005 base limit
------------------------------------------------------------------------
435.......................................  3,433 dozen.
448.......................................  1,769 dozen.
622.......................................  511,238 square meters.
(622-L) \1\...............................  84,270 square meters.
(622-N) \2\...............................  32,400 square meters.
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\1\ Category 622-L: only HTS numbers 7019.51.9010, 7019.52.4010,
  7019.52.9010, 7019.59.4010, and 7019.59.9010.
\2\ Category 622-N: only HTS numbers 7019.52.40.21, 7019.52.90.21,
  7019.59.40.21, 7019.59.90.21.

    The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements has 
determined that this action falls within the foreign affairs 
exception to 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. E5-7947 Filed 12-27-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-S