Establishment of an Import Limit for Certain Cotton and Man-Made Fiber Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in El Salvador

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Establishment of an Import Limit for Certain Cotton and Man-Made

Fiber Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in El Salvador

June 26, 1996.

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

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs establishing

a limit.

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EFFECTIVE DATE: June 27, 1996.

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 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. For information

on categories on which consultations have been requested, call (202)

482-3740.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Authority: Executive Order 11651 of March 3, 1972, as amended;

section 204 of the

[[Page 34493]]

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

A notice published in the Federal Register on April 17, 1996 (61 FR

16762) announces that if no solution is agreed upon in consultations

between the Governments of the United States and El Salvador on

Categories 342/642, the Committee for the Implementation of Textile

Agreements may establish a limit at a level of not less than 209,563

dozen for the twelve-month period beginning on March 29, 1996 and

extending through March 28, 1997.

Inasmuch as no agreement was reached during the consultation period

on a mutually satisfactory solution on Categories 342/642, the United

States Government has decided to control imports in these categories

for the period beginning on March 29, 1996 and extending through March

28, 1997 at a level of 209,563 dozen.

This action is taken in accordance with the Uruguay Round Agreement

on Textiles and Clothing and the Uruguay Round Agreements Act.

The United States remains committed to finding a mutual solution

concerning Categories 342/642. Should such a solution be reached in

consultations with the Government of El Salvador, further notice will

be published in the Federal Register.

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).

D. Michael Hutchinson,

Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile

Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements

June 26, 1996.

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), the Uruguay

Round Agreements Act and the Uruguay Round Agreement on Textiles and

Clothing; and in accordance with the provisions of Executive Order

11651 of March 30, 1972, as amended, you are directed to prohibit,

effective on June 27, 1996, entry into the United States for

consumption and withdrawal from warehouse for consumption of cotton

and man-made fiber textile products in Categories 342/642, produced

or manufactured in El Salvador and exported during the twelve-month

period beginning on March 29, 1996 and extending through March 28,

1997, in excess of 209,563 dozen \1\.

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

exported after March 28, 1996.

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Textile products in Categories 342/642 which have been exported

to the United States prior to March 29, 1996 shall not be subject to

the limit established in this directive.

Textile products in Categories 342/642 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 efffective date of this

directive shall not be denied entry under this directive.

Import charges will be provided at a later date.

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 this action falls 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. 96-16803 Filed 6-27-96; 12:03 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F