Announcing Settlement on Import Limits and Guaranteed Access Levels for Certain Cotton, Wool and Man-Made Fiber Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in Honduras

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Announcing Settlement on Import Limits and Guaranteed Access

Levels for Certain Cotton, Wool and Man-Made Fiber Textile Products

Produced or Manufactured in Honduras

September 15, 1995.

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

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs establishing

[[Page 48693]]

limits and announcing Guaranteed Access Levels.

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EFFECTIVE DATE: September 18, 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).

In a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) dated September 15, 1995 the

Governments of the United States and Honduras agreed, pursuant to the

Uruguay Round Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC), to establish

limits for Categories 352/652 and 435 for three-year terms--March 27,

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

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

through March 26, 1998 (Categories 352/652) and April 24, 1995 through

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

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

23, 1998 (Category 435). The governments also agreed to establish

Guaranteed Access Levels (GALs) for Categories 352/652 and 435 for the

periods January 1, 1996 through December 31, 1996; January 1, 1997

through December 31, 1997; and January 1, 1998 through March 26, 1998

(Categories 352/652) and January 1, 1996 through December 31, 1996;

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

April 23, 1998 (Category 435).

Beginning on November 1, 1995, the U.S. Customs Service will start

signing the first section of the form ITA-370P for shipments of U.S.

formed and cut parts in Categories 352/652 and 435 that are destined

for Honduras and subject to the GAL established for Categories 352/652

and 435 for the period beginning on January 1, 1996 and extending

through December 31, 1996. These products are governed by Harmonized

Tariff item number 9802.00.8015 and chapter 61 Statistical Note 5 and

chapter 62 Statistical Note 3 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule.

Interested parties should be aware that shipments of cut parts in

Categories 352/652 and 435 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 Honduras in order to qualify for entry under the

Special Access Program.

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

Commissioner of Customs to amend the current restraint periods for

Categories 352/652 and 435 to end on December 31, 1995 at increased

levels.

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). Also see

60 FR 32654, published on June 23, 1995; and 60 FR 19892, published on

April 21, 1995.

Requirements for participation in the Special Access Program are

provided in Federal Register notices 51 FR 21208, published on June 11,

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

on December 6, 1989; and 60 FR 2740, published on January 11, 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 Uruguay Round Agreement on

Textiles and Clothing, but are designed to assist only in the

implementation of certain of their provisions.

D. Michael Hutchinson,

Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile

Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements

September 15, 1995.

Commissioner of Customs,

Department of the Treasury, Washington, DC 20229.

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

the directives issued to you on June 16, 1995, and July 18, 1995 by

the Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile

Agreements. Those directives concern imports of certain cotton, wool

and man-made fiber textile products, produced or manufactured in

Honduras and exported during the twelve-month periods beginning on

March 27, 1995 and extending through March 26, 1996 (Categories 352/

652); and beginning April 24, 1995 and extending through April 23,

1996 (Category 435).

Effective on September 18, 1995, you are directed, pursuant to

the Memorandum of Understanding dated September 15, 1995 between the

Governments of the United States and Honduras, the Uruguay Round

Agreements Act and the Uruguay Round Agreement on Textiles and

Clothing, to amend the current restraint periods for Categories 352/

652 and 435 to end on December 31, 1995 and increase the limits for

Categories 352/652 and 435 as follows:

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

Category New Limit\1\

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352/652............................ 45,424,731 dozen, of which not more

than 43,516,129 dozen shall be in

Categories 352/652-K\2\.

435................................ 33,893 dozen.

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

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

after March 26, 1995 (Categories 352/652) and April 23, 1995 (Category

435).

\2\Category 352/652-K: Only HTS numbers 6107.11.0010, 6107.11.0020,

6108.19.9010, 6108.21.0010, 6108.21.0020, 6108.91.0005, 6108.91.0015,

6108.91.0025, 6109.10.0005, 6109.10.0007, 6109.10.0009, 6109.10.0037,

6107.12.0010, 6107.12.0020, 6108.11.0010, 6108.11.0020, 6108.22.9020,

6108.22.9030, 6108.92.0005, 6108.92.0015, 6108.92.0025, 6109.90.1047,

and 6109.90.1075

Beginning on November 1, 1995, the U.S. Customs Service is

directed to start signing the first section of the form ITA-370P for

shipments of U.S. formed and cut parts in Categories 352/652 and 435

that are destined for Honduras and re-exported to the United States

on and after January 1, 1996.

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,

D. Michael Hutchinson,

Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile

Agreements.

[FR Doc. 95-23400 Filed 9-18-95; 10:42 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F