Announcement of Import Restraint Limits and Guaranteed Access Levels for Certain Cotton, Wool, Man-Made Fiber and Other Vegetable Fiber Textiles and Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in Jamaica

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Announcement of Import Restraint Limits and Guaranteed Access

Levels for Certain Cotton, Wool, Man-Made Fiber and Other Vegetable

Fiber Textiles and Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in Jamaica

November 29, 1994.

AGENCY: Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA).

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs establishing

limits and guaranteed access levels for the new agreement year.

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EFFECTIVE DATE: January 1, 1995.

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 or call (202) 927-5850. For information on

embargoes and quota re-openings, call (202) 482-3715.

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).

The Bilateral Cotton, Wool, Man-Made Fiber and Other Vegetable

Fiber Textile Agreement of August 27, 1986, as amended and extended,

and the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) dated November 8, 1993,

between the Governments of the United States and Jamaica establish

limits and guaranteed access levels (GALs) for the period beginning on

January 1, 1995 and extending through December 31, 1995.

These limits are subject to revision pursuant to the Uruguay Round

Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (URATC). On the date that both the

United States and Jamaica are members of the World Trade Organization,

the restraint limits will be modified in accordance with the URATC.

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 58 FR 62645, published on November 29, 1993).

Information regarding the 1995 CORRELATION will be published in the

Federal Register at a later date.

Requirements for participation in the Special Access Program are

available in Federal Register notices 51 FR 21208, published on June

11, 1986; 52 FR 6049, published on February 27, 1987; 52 FR 26057,

published on July 10, 1987; and 54 FR 50425, published on December 6,

1989.

The letter to the Commissioner of Customs and the actions taken

pursuant to it are not designed to implement all of the provisions of

the bilateral agreement and the MOU dated November 8, 1993, but are

designed to assist only in the implementation of certain of their

provisions.

Rita D. Hayes,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements

November 29, 1994.

Commissioner of Customs,

Department of the Treasury, Washington, DC 20229.

Dear Commissioner: Under the terms of section 204 of the

Agricultural Act of 1956, as amended (7 U.S.C. 1854), and the

Arrangement Regarding International Trade in Textiles done at Geneva

on December 20, 1973, as further extended on December 9, 1993;

pursuant to the Bilateral Cotton, Wool, Man-Made Fiber and Other

Vegetable Fiber Textile Agreement of August 27, 1986, as amended and

extended, and the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) dated November

8, 1993 between the Governments of the United States and Jamaica;

and in accordance with the provisions of Executive Order 11651 of

March 3, 1972, as amended, you are directed to prohibit, effective

on January 1, 1995, entry into the United States for consumption and

withdrawal from warehouse for consumption of cotton, wool, man-made

fiber and other vegetable fiber textiles and textile products in the

following categories, produced or manufactured in Jamaica and

exported during the twelve-month period beginning on January 1, 1995

and extending through December 31, 1995, in excess of the following

levels of restraint:

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Category Twelve-month restraint limit

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331/631.......................... 530,000 dozen pairs.

336/636.......................... 118,000 dozen.

338/339/638/639.................. 1,045,022 dozen.

340/640.......................... 488,679 dozen of which not more than

413,499 dozen shall be in shirts

made from fabrics with two or more

colors in the warp and/or the

filling in Categories 340-Y/640-

Y\1\.

341/641.......................... 613,632 dozen.

342/642.......................... 175,000 dozen.

345/845.......................... 151,416 dozen.

347/348/647/648.................. 1,127,970 dozen.

352/652.......................... 1,685,400 dozen.

445/446.......................... 50,894 dozen.

447.............................. 10,000 dozen.

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\1\Category 340-Y: only HTS numbers 6205.20.2015, 6205.20.2020,

6205.20.2046, 6205.20.2050 and 6205.20.2060; Category 640-Y: only HTS

numbers 6205.30.2010, 6205.30.2020, 6205.30.2050 and 6205.30.2060.

Imports charged to these category limits for the period January

1, 1994 through December 31, 1994 shall be charged against those

levels of restraint to the extent of any unfilled balances. In the

event the limits established for that period have been exhausted by

previous entries, such goods shall be subject to the levels set

forth in this directive.

The limits set forth above are subject to adjustment in the

future according to the provisions of the current bilateral

agreement between the Governments of the United States and Jamaica.

In accordance with the provisions of the Special Access Program,

as set forth in 51 FR 21208 (June 11, 1986), 52 FR 26057 (July 10,

1987) and 54 FR 50425 (December 6, 1989), you are directed to

establish guaranteed access levels for properly certified cotton,

man-made fiber and other vegetable fiber textile products in the

following categories which are assembled in Jamaica from fabric

formed and cut in the United States and re-exported to the United

States from Jamaica during the twelve-month period which begins on

January 1, 1995 and extends through December 31, 1995.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Category Guaranteed Access Level

------------------------------------------------------------------------

331/631.......................... 1,320,000 dozen pairs.

336/636.......................... 125,000 dozen.

338/339/638/639.................. 1,500,000 dozen.

340/640.......................... 300,000 dozen.

341/641.......................... 375,000 dozen.

342/642.......................... 200,000 dozen.

345/845.......................... 50,000 dozen.

347/348/647/648.................. 2,000,000 dozen.

352/652.......................... 10,500,000 dozen.

447.............................. 30,000 dozen.

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Any shipment for entry under the Special Access Program which is

not accompanied by a valid and correct certification and Export

Declaration in accordance with the provisions of the certification

requirements established in the directive of February 19, 1987 shall

be denied entry unless the Government of Jamaica authorizes the

entry and any charges to the appropriate designated consultation

levels or specific limits. Any shipment which is declared for entry

under the Special Access Program but found not to qualify shall be

denied entry into the United States.

In carrying out the above directions, the Commissioner of

Customs 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,

Rita D. Hayes,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

[FR Doc. 94-29952 Filed 12-5-94; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F