Announcement of an Import Restraint Limit for Certain Cotton and Man-Made Fiber Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in Fiji

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Announcement of an Import Restraint Limit for Certain Cotton and

Man-Made Fiber Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in Fiji

January 24, 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: February 1, 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ross Arnold, 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).

The Governments of the United States and Fiji agreed to extend

their current agreement for two consecutive one-year periods beginning

on January 1, 1996 and extending through December 31, 1997.

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

Commissioner of Customs to establish limits for the 1996 period.

This limit will be subject to revision pursuant to the Uruguay

Round Agreements Act and the Uruguay Round Agreement on Textiles and

Clothing (ATC) on the date that Fiji becomes a member of the World

Trade Organization.

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).

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 bilateral agreement, but are designed to assist only in the

implementation of certain of its provisions.

Troy H. Cribb,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements

January 24, 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); pursuant to

the Bilateral Textile Agreement, effected by exchange of notes dated

May 24, 1991 and August 20, 1991, as amended and extended, between

the Governments of the United States and Fiji; and in accordance

with the provisions of Executive Order 11651 of March 3, 1972, as

amended, you are directed to prohibit, effective on February 1,

1996, entry into the United States for consumption and withdrawal

from warehouse for consumption of cotton and manmade fiber textile

products in Categories 338/339/638/639, produced or manufactured in

Fiji and exported during the twelve-month period beginning on

January 1, 1996 and extending through December 31, 1996, in excess

of 1,071,914 dozen\1\ of which not more than

[[Page 3004]]

893,262 dozen shall be in Categories 338-S/339-S/638-S/639-S.\2\

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

exported after December 31, 1995.

\2\Category 338-S: only HTS numbers 6103.22.0050, 6105.10.0010,

6105.10.0030, 6105.90.8010, 6109.10.0027, 6110.20.1025,

6110.20.2040, 6110.20.2065, 6110.90.9068, 6112.11.0030 and

6114.20.0005; Category 339-S: only HTS numbers 6104.22.0060,

6104.29.2049, 6106.10.0010, 6106.10.0030, 6106.90.2510,

6106.90.3010, 6109.10.0070, 6110.20.1030, 6110.20.2045,

6110.20.2075, 6110.90.9070, 6112.11.0040, 6114.20.0010 and

6117.90.9020; Category 638-S: all HTS numbers except 6109.90.1007,

6109.90.1009, 6109.90.1013 and 6109.90.1025; Category 639-S: all HTS

numbers except 6109.90.1050, 6109.90.1060, 6109.90.1065 and

6109.90.1070.

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Imports charged to this category limit for the period January 1,

1995 through December 31, 1995 shall be charged against that level

of restraint to the extent of any unfilled balance. In the event the

limit established for that period has been exhausted by previous

entries, such goods shall be subject to the level set forth in this

directive.

Should Fiji become a member of the World Trade Organization

(WTO), the limit set forth above will be subject to adjustment in

the future pursuant to the provisions of the Uruguay Round

Agreements Act, the Uruguay Round Agreement on Textiles and Clothing

and any administrative arrangements notified to the Textiles

Monitoring Body.

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 to the rulemaking provisions of 5 U.S.C. 553(a)(1).

Sincerely,

Troy H. Cribb,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

[FR Doc. 96-1744 Filed 1-29-96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3610-DR-M