Announcing Settlement on Import Limits and Guaranteed Access Levels and Adjusting 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

Announcing Settlement on Import Limits and Guaranteed Access

Levels and Adjusting an Import Limit for Certain Cotton and Man-Made

Fiber Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in El Salvador

August 16, 1996.

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

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs amending

restraint period and limit, adjusting limit and announcing signing of

ITA-370P form.

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EFFECTIVE DATE: August 23, 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 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.

In a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) dated July 18, 1996, the

Governments of the United States and El Salvador agreed, pursuant to

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

establish limits for Categories 342/642 for a three-year term--March

29, 1996 through December 31, 1996; January 1, 1997 through December

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

1999 through March 28, 1999. The two governments also agreed to

establish Guaranteed Access Levels (GALs) for Categories 342/642 for

the periods January 1, 1997 through December 31, 1997; January 1, 1998

through December 31, 1998; and January 1, 1999 through March 28, 1999.

In a separate MOU dated July 18, 1996, the two governments agreed

to increase the base level for Categories 352/652 for the period

January 1, 1996 through December 31, 1996.

Beginning on August 23, 1996, 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 342/642 that are destined for El

Salvador and subject to the GAL established for Categories 342/642 for

the period beginning on January 1, 1997 and extending through December

31, 1997. These products are governed by Harmonized Tariff item number

9802.00.80.8015 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 342/

642 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 El

Salvador 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 restraint period for Categories

342/642

[[Page 43397]]

to end on December 31, 1996 at an increased level and to increase the

1996 limit for Categories 352/652. In addition, U.S. Customs Service is

being directed to start signing the ITA-370P form for shipments of U.S.

formed and cut parts in Categories 342/642 that are destined for El

Salvador and re-exported to the United States on and after January 1,

1997.

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

60 FR 65296, published on December 19, 1995; 61 FR 34492, published on

July 2, 1996.

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; 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.

Troy H. Cribb,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements

August 16, 1996.

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 December 13, 1995 and June 26, 1996,

by the Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile

Agreements. Those directives concern imports of certain cotton and

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

Salvador and exported during the periods January 1, 1996 through

December 31, 1996, in the case of Categories 352/652; and March 29,

1996 through March 28, 1997, in the case of Categories 342/642.

Effective on August 23, 1996, you are directed to amend the

restraint period for Categories 342/642 to end on December 31, 1996

and increase the limit for Categories 352/652, as provided for under

Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) dated July 18, 1996 between the

Governments of the United States and El Salvador, the Uruguay Round

Agreements Act and the Uruguay Round Agreement on Textiles and

Clothing (ATC), as follows:

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Category Adjusted limit \1\

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342/642................................... 500,000 dozen.

352/652................................... 8,103,774 dozen.

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

exported after March 28, 1995 (Categories 342/642) and December 31,

1995 (Categories 352/652).

Beginning on August 23, 1996, 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 342/642 that

are destined for El Salvador and re-exported to the United States on

and after January 1, 1997.

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,

Troy H. Cribb,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

[FR Doc. 96-21398 Filed 8-21-96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F