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 the Republic of Korea

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 the Republic of Korea

October 14, 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.

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 Korea 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.

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 14, 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 the Republic of Korea and exported during the twelve-month period beginning on January 1, 2004 and extending through December 31, 2004, in excess of the following levels of restraint:

Category

Twelve-month restraint limit

Group I

200-220, 224-V

1

, 224-O

2

, 225-227, 300-326, 360-363, 369pt.,

3

, 400-414, 469pt.,

4

, 603, 604, 611-620, 625-629, 666pt.

5

, as a group

251,715,942 square meters equivalent.

Sublevels within Group I

200

576,047 kilograms.

201

3,839,661 kilograms.

218

11,904,271 square meters.

219

10,839,662 square meters.

224-V

13,665,051 square meters.

300/301

3,993,265 kilograms.

313

65,076,679 square meters.

314

36,283,903 square meters.

315

21,151,383 square meters.

317/326

24,184,185 square meters.

363

1,393,671 numbers.

410

3,917,219 square meters.

604

519,053 kilograms.

611

4,670,666 square meters.

613/614

7,936,180 square meters.

617

6,581,224 square meters.

619/620

102,210,837 square meters.

624

11,613,923 square meters.

625/626/627/628/629

19,928,173 square meters.

Group II

237, 239pt.

6

, 331pt.

7

, 332-348, 351, 352, 359pt.

8

, 433-438, 440-448, 459-W

9

, 459pt.

10

, 631pt.

11

, 633-648, 651, 652, 659-H

12

, 659-S

13

and 659pt.

14

, as a group

582,607,892 square meters equivalent.

Sublevels within Group II

237

78,973 dozen.

239pt.

319,325 kilograms.

333/334/335

350,301 dozen of which not more than 179,044 dozen shall be in Category 335.

336

74,751 dozen.

338/339

1,556,888 dozen.

340

809,582 dozen of which not more than 420,361 dozen shall be in Category 340-D

15

.

341

207,399 dozen.

342/642

281,556 dozen.

345

152,723 dozen.

347/348

576,047 dozen.

351/651

298,663 dozen.

352

232,413 dozen.

433

14,493 dozen.

434

7,433 dozen.

435

38,474 dozen.

436

16,287 dozen.

438

65,298 dozen.

440

208,662 dozen.

442

55,038 dozen.

443

318,836 numbers.

444

59,975 numbers.

445/446

54,368 dozen.

447

92,757 dozen.

448

38,720 dozen.

459-W

104,740 kilograms.

631pt.

79,754 dozen pairs.

633/634/635

1,385,451 dozen of which not more than 157,107 dozen shall be in Category 633 and not more than 585,489 dozen shall be in Category 635.

636

311,222 dozen.

638/639

5,339,862 dozen.

640-D

16

3,294,663 dozen.

640-O

17

2,718,346 dozen.

641

1,106,570 dozen of which not more than 41,797 dozen shall be in Category 641-Y

18

.

643

819,801 numbers.

644

1,233,354 numbers.

645/646

3,699,208 dozen.

647/648

1,450,258 dozen.

659-H

1,536,487 kilograms.

659-S

233,967 kilograms.

Group III-only 852

13,340,356 square meters equivalent.

Levels not in a group

845

2,315,056 dozen.

846

826,905 dozen.

1

Category 224-V: only HTS numbers 5801.21.0000, 5801.23.0000, 5801.24.0000, 5801.25.0010, 5801.25.0020, 5801.26.0010, 5801.26.0020, 5801.31.0000, 5801.33.0000, 5801.34.0000, 5801.35.0010, 5801.35.0020, 5801.36.0010 and 5801.36,0020.

2

Category 224-O: all remaining HTS numbers in Category 224.

3

Category 369pt.: all HTS numbers except 4202.12.4000, 4202.12.8020, 4202.12.8060, 4202.22.4020, 4202.22.4500, 4202.22.8030, 4202.32.4000, 4202.32.9530, 4202.92.0505, 4202.92.1500, 4202.92.3016, 4202.92.6091, 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, 5805.00.3000, 5807.10.0510, 5807.90.0510, 6301.30.0010, 6301.30.0020, 6302,51.1000, 6302.51.2000, 6302.51.3000, 6302.51.4000, 6302.60.0010, 6302.60.0030, 6302.91.0005, 6302.91.0025, 6302.91.0045, 6302.91.0050, 6302.91.0060, 6303.11.0000, 6303.91.0010, 6303.91.0020, 6304.91.0020, 6304.92.0000, 6305.20.0000, 6306.11.0000, 6307.10.1020, 6307.10.1090, 6307.90.3010, 6307.90.4010, 6307.90.5010, 6307.90.8910, 6307.90.8945, 6307.90.9882, 6406.10.7700, 9404.90.1000, 9404.90.8040 and 9404.90.9505.

4

Category 469pt.: all HTS numbers except 5601.29.0020, 5603.94.1010, 6304.19.3040, 6304.91.0050, 6304.99.1500, 6304.99.6010, 6308.00.0010 and 6406.10.9020.

5

Category 666pt.: all HTS numbers except 5805.00.4010, 6301.10.0000, 6301.40.0010, 6301.40.0020, 6301.90.0010, 6302.53.0010, 6302.53.0020, 6302.53.0030, 6302.93.1000, 6302.93.2000, 6303.12.0000, 6303.19.0010, 6303.92.1000, 6303.92.2010, 6303.92.2020, 6303.99.0010, 6304.11.2000, 6304.19.1500, 6304.19.2000, 6304.91.0040, 6304.93.0000, 6304.99.6020, 6307.90.9884, 9404.90.8522 and 9404.90.9522.

6

Category 239pt.: only HTS number 6209.20.5040 (diapers).

7

Category 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.

8

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.

9

Category 459-W: only HTS number 6505.90.4090.

10

Category 459pt.: all HTS numbers except 6505.90.4090 (Category 459-W); 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, 6406.99.1560.

11

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.

12

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.

13

Category 659-S: only HTS numbers 6112.31.0010, 6112.31.0020, 6112.41.0010, 6112.41.0020, 6112.41.0030, 6112.41.0040, 6211.11.1010, 6211.11.1020, 6211.12.1010 and 6211.12.1020.

14

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); 6112.31.0010, 6112.31.0020, 6112.41.0010, 6112.41.0020, 6112.41.0030, 6112.41.0040, 6211.11.1010, 6211.11.1020, 6211.12.1010, 6211.12.1020 (Category 659-S); 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.

15

Category 340-D: only HTS numbers 6205.20.2015, 6205.20.2020, 6205.20.2025 and 6205.20.2030.

16

Category 640-D: only HTS numbers 6205.30.2010, 6205.30.2020, 6205.30.2030, 6205.30.2040, 6205.90.3030 and 6205.90.4030.

17

640-O: only HTS numbers 6203.23.0080, 6203.29.2050, 6205.30.1000, 6205.30.2050, 6205.30.2060, 6205.30.2070, 6205.30.2080 and 6211.33.0040.

18

Category 641-Y: only HTS numbers 6204.23.0050, 6204.29.2030, 6206.40.3010 and 6206.40.3025.

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 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 the following merged categories are listed below:

Category

Conversion factor (Square meters equivalent/category unit)

333/334/335

33.75

633/634/635

34.1

638/639

12.96

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 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. 03-26424 Filed 10-17-03; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-S