Adjustment of Import Limits and Guaranteed Access Levels for Certain Cotton, Wool, and Man-Made Fiber Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in the Dominican Republic

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Adjustment of Import Limits and Guaranteed Access Levels for

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

Manufactured in the Dominican Republic

May 7, 1996.

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

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs increasing

import limits and guaranteed access levels.

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EFFECTIVE DATE: May 8, 1996.

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); Uruguay Round Agreements Act.

On the request of the Government of the Dominican Republic, the

U.S. Government agreed to increase certain 1996 Guaranteed Access

Levels. Also, the limits for certain categories are being increased for

carryover.

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 60 FR 65299, published on December 19, 1995). Also see

61 FR 1359, published on January 19, 1996.

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.

Dated: May 8, 1996.

Troy H. Cribb,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements

May 7, 1996.

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 January 11, 1996, by the Chairman,

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements. That

directive concerns imports of certain cotton, wool and man-made

fiber textile products, produced or manufactured in the Dominican

Republic and exported during the twelve-month period which began on

January 1, 1996 and extends through December 31, 1996.

Effective on May 8, 1996, you are directed to increase the

limits for the following categories, as provided for under the

Uruguay Round Agreements Act and the Uruguay Round Agreement on

Textiles and Clothing:

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Adjusted import restraint

Category limit \1\

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339/639................................... 974,394 dozen.

340/640................................... 842,928 dozen.

347/348/647/648........................... 2,017,807 dozen of which not

more than 960,368 dozen

shall be in Categories 647/

648.

352/652................................... 9,744,029 dozen.

433....................................... 22,763 dozen.

442....................................... 79,655 dozen.

443....................................... 143,720 numbers.

444....................................... 79,655 numbers.

448....................................... 41,034 dozen.

633....................................... 120,253 dozen.

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

exported after December 31, 1995.

The 1996 Guaranteed Access Levels (GALs) for Categories 340/640,

347/348/647/648, 352/652, 442 and 448 remain unchanged. The GALs for

textile products in the following categories shall be increased:

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Amended Guaranteed Access

Category Level

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338/638................................... 1,650,000 dozen.

339/639................................... 1,650,000 dozen.

433....................................... 61,000 dozen.

443....................................... 100,000 numbers.

444....................................... 130,000 numbers.

633....................................... 100,000 dozen.

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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).

[[Page 24293]]

Sincerely,

Troy H. Cribb,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

[FR Doc. 96-12064 Filed 5-13-96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F