Settlement on an Import Limit and Amendment of Visa Requirements for Certain Man-Made Fiber Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in Sri Lanka

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Settlement on an Import Limit and Amendment of Visa Requirements

for Certain Man-Made Fiber Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in

Sri Lanka

July 31, 1995.

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

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs establishing

a limit and amending visa requirements.

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EFFECTIVE DATE: August 7, 1995.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Helen L. LeGrande, International Trade

Specialist, Office of Textiles and Apparel, U.S. Department of

Commerce, (202) 482-4212. For information on the quota status of this

limit, 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).

In a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) dated June 23, 1995, the

Governments of the United States and the Democratic Socialist Republic

of Sri Lanka agreed, pursuant to Article 6 of the Uruguay Round

Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC), to establish a limit for man-

made fiber luggage in Category 670-L for a three year term--June 23,

1995 through December 31, 1995; January 1, 1996 through December 31,

1996; January 1, 1997 through December 31, 1997; and January 1, 1998

through June 22, 1998.

In the letter published below, the Chairman of CITA directs the

Commissioner of Customs to establish a limit for Category 670-L for the

period beginning on June 23, 1995 and extending through December 31,

1995. Also, the visa arrangement is being amended to require a part-

category visa for goods in Category 670-L and Category 670-O, produced

or manufactured in Sri Lanka and exported from Sri Lanka on and after

August 7, 1995. Goods in Category 670 which are exported during the

period August 7, 1995 through September 6, 1995 shall be permitted

entry if visaed as 670 or the correct part category. Goods exported on

and after September 7, 1995 must be accompanied by a 670-L visa or a

670-O visa.

A description of the textile and apparel categories in terms of HTS

numbers is available in the

[[Page 39944]]

CORRELATION: Textile and Apparel Categories with the Harmonized Tariff

Schedule of the United States (see Federal Register notice 59 FR 65531,

published on December 20, 1994). Also see 53 FR 34573, published on

September 7, 1988; 60 FR 13410, published on March 13, 1995; and 60 FR

27276, published on May 23, 1995.

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 Uruguay Round Agreements Act and the ATC, 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

July 31, 1995.

Commissioner of Customs,

Department of the Treasury, Washington, DC 20229.

Dear Commissioner: Effective on August 7, 1995, you are directed

to cancel the directive issued to you on May 12, 1995, by the

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements

(CITA), directing you to count imports of textile products in

Category 670-L \1\ for the period beginning on April 27, 1995 and

extending through April 26, 1996.

\1\ Category 670-L: only HTS numbers 4202.12.8030, 4202.12.8070,

4202.92.3020, 4202.92.3030 and 4202.92.9025.

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This directive amends, but does not cancel, the directive issued

to you on March 7, 1995, by the Chairman of CITA. That directive

concerns, among other things, imports of certain cotton, wool and

man-made fiber textile products and silk blend and other vegetable

fiber apparel, produced or manufactured in Sri Lanka and exported

during the period which began on January 1, 1995 and extends through

December 31, 1995.

Effective on August 7, 1995, you are directed, pursuant to the

Uruguay Round Agreements Act, the Uruguay Round Agreement on

Textiles and Clothing (ATC), and a Memorandum of Understanding dated

June 23, 1995 between the Governments of the United States and the

Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, to establish a limit for

man-made fiber textile products in Category 670-L for the period

beginning on June 23, 1995 and extending through December 31, 1995

at a level of 3,945,206 kilograms \2\.

\2\ The limit has not been adjusted to account for any imports

exported after June 22, 1995.

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Textile products in Category 670-L which have been exported to

the United States prior to June 23, 1995 shall not be subject to

this directive.

Textile products in Category 670-L which have been released from

the custody of the U.S. Customs Service under the provisions of 19

U.S.C. 1448(b) or 1484(a)(1) prior to the effective date of this

directive shall not be denied entry under this directive.

For visa purposes, you are directed to amend further the

directive dated September 1, 1988 to require a part-category visa

for 670-L and 670-O for goods produced or manufactured in Sri Lanka

and exported from Sri Lanka on and after August 7, 1995. Goods in

Category 670 which are exported from Sri Lanka during the period

August 7, 1995 through September 6, 1995 may be visaed as Category

670 or the correct part-category. Goods in Category 670 which are

exported on and after September 7, 1995 must be visaed as Category

670-L or Category 670-O.

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 to 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. 95-19267 Filed 8-3-95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F