Establishment and Amendment of Import Limits, Amendment of a Restraint Period and Announcement of Special Access Levels for Certain Cotton, Wool and Man-Made Fiber Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in Colombia

[[Page 45145]]

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Establishment and Amendment of Import Limits, Amendment of a

Restraint Period and Announcement of Special Access Levels for Certain

Cotton, Wool and Man-Made Fiber Textile Products Produced or

Manufactured in Colombia

August 24, 1995.

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

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs establishing

and amending limits and announcing special access levels.

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

EFFECTIVE DATE: September 1, 1995.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Aldrich, 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).

Pursuant to the Uruguay Round Agreements Act and the Uruguay Round

Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC), the limits agreed upon by the

Governments of the United States and Colombia, as notified to the

Textiles Monitoring Body (TMB), are being amended to establish limits

for the period beginning on January 1, 1995 and extending through

December 31, 1995. Since Colombia is now a member of the World Trade

Organization (WTO), the limits published in the Federal Register on

April 5, 1995 (60 FR 17319) are being amended. Pursuant to the ATC,

these new limits supersede those notified to the TMB contained in the

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) dated November 18, 1994 between the

Governments of the United States and the Republic of Colombia.

A notice published in Federal Register on June 23, 1995 (60 FR

32652) announces a limit for cotton and man-made fiber underwear in

Categories 352/652 for the period March 29, 1995 through March 28,

1996. A separate notice published on June 23, 1995 (60 FR 32657)

announces a request to consult with the Government of the Republic of

Colombia on imports of women's and girls' wool coats in Category 444.

In Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) dated June 27, 1995 and August

9, 1995, the Governments of the United States and the Republic of

Colombia agreed, pursuant to Article 6 of the Uruguay Round Agreement

on Textiles and Clothing (ATC), to establish a limit for textile

products in Categories 352/652 and 444, respectively. Textile products

in Categories 352/652 and 444 shall be covered under the Andean Special

Access Textile Program for products which are assembled in Colombia

from fabric wholly formed and cut in the United States that are

intended for re-export to the United States. The Special Access limit

for Categories 352/652 and 444 shall be 22,500,000 dozen (restraint

period April 1, 1995 through December 31, 1995) and 201,000 numbers

(restraint period January 1, 1995 through December 31, 1995),

respectively. There is a sublimit of 2,250,000 dozen for Categories

352/652 and a sublimit of 80,400 numbers for Category 444 for products

that are not assembled from U.S. formed and cut fabrics.

The United States and the Republic of Colombia agree to establish a

visa and Andean Special Access Textile Program certification system to

be implemented no later than October 1, 1995. Further notice will be

published in the Federal Register concerning the implementation of the

visa and certification system.

Products subject to the Andean Special Access Textile Program shall

be assembled in Colombia from fabric wholly formed and cut in the

United States for re-export to the United States under contracts

governed by HTSUSA 9802.00.8015; or assembled in Colombia from fabric

wholly formed and cut in the United States, and then subject to

bleaching, acid washing, stonewashing, garment dyeing, or permapressing

in Colombia following assembly, for re-export to the United States

under contracts governed by Statistical Headnote 5 to Chapter 61 of the

Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States Annotated, and

Statistical Headnote 3 to Chapter 62 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule

of the United States Annotated, as implemented by the Government of the

United States requiring the use of the statistical prefix ``H.''

Shipments of cut parts in Categories 352/652 and 444 must be

accompanied by a form ITA-370P, signed by a U.S. Customs officer, prior

to export from the United States for assembly in Colombia in order to

qualify for entry under the Special Access Program.

Requirements for participation in the Special Access Program are

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

11, 1986; 52 FR 26057, published on July 10, 1987; and 54 FR 50425,

published on December 6, 1989.

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

Commissioner of Customs to amend the current limits for Categories 315

and 443; and establish a limit for Categories 352/652 for the period

April 1, 1995 through December 31, 1995 and Category 444 for the period

January 1, 1995 through December 31, 1995.

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 59 FR 65531, published on December 20, 1994).

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 Uruguay Round Agreement on

Textiles and Clothing, 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

August 24, 1995.

Commissioner of Customs,

Department of the Treasury, Washington, DC 20229.

Dear Commissioner: This directive amends, but does not cancel,

the directive issued to you on March 30, 1995, by the Chairman,

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements. That

directive concerns imports of certain cotton and man-made fiber

textile products, produced or manufactured in Colombia and exported

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

extending through December 31, 1995.

This directive cancels and supersedes the directive dated June

16, 1995 concerning imports of cotton and man-made fiber underwear

in Categories 352/652 exported from Colombia during the period March

29, 1995 through March 28, 1996. This directive cancels and

supersedes the directive dated June 16, 1995 which directed you to

count imports in Category 444 for the period May 31, 1995 through

May 30, 1996.

Effective on September 1, 1995, you are directed, pursuant to

the Uruguay Round Agreements Act, the Uruguay Round Agreement on

Textiles and Clothing (ATC) and Memoranda of Understanding dated

June 27, 1995 between the Governments of the United States and the

Republic of Colombia, to establish the restraint period for

Categories 352/652 to begin on April 1, 1995 and extend through

December 31, 1995 at a level of

[[Page 45146]]

2,250,000 dozen \1\. Also pursuant to the ATC and a Memorandum of

Understanding dated August 9, 1995, you are directed to establish a

limit for Category 444 for the period January 1, 1995 through

December 31, 1995 at a level of 201,000 numbers \2\.

\1\ The limit has not been adjusted to account for any imports

exported after March 31, 1995.

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

exported after December 31, 1994.

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

Further, you are directed to amend the 1995 limits for the

following categories:

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

Category Twelve-month limit \1\

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

315................................ 18,721,985 square meters.

443................................ 122,715 numbers.

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

\1\ The limits have not been adjusted to account for any imports

exported after December 31, 1994.

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. 95-21558 Filed 8-29-95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F