Announcement of Levels for Certain Cotton, Wool and Man-Made Fiber Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in the United Mexican States

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Announcement of Levels for Certain Cotton, Wool and Man-Made

Fiber Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in the United Mexican

States

October 17, 1996.

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

[[Page 54987]]

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs establishing

levels under the North America Free Trade Agreement.

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

EFFECTIVE DATE: January 1, 1997.

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) 927-6711. 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 order to implement Annex 300-B of the North America Free Trade

Agreement (NAFTA), restrictions and consultation levels for certain

cotton, wool and man-made fiber textile products from Mexico are being

established for the period beginning on January 1, 1997 and extending

through December 31, 1997.

These restrictions and consultation levels do not apply to NAFTA

originating goods, as defined in Annex 300-B, Chapter 4 and Annex 401

of the agreement. In addition, restrictions and consultation levels do

not apply to textile and apparel goods that are assembled in Mexico

from fabrics wholly formed and cut in the United States and exported

from and re-imported into the United States under U.S. tariff item

9802.00.90.

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

Commissioner of Customs to implement levels for the 1997 period.

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).

Information regarding the 1997 CORRELATION will be published in the

Federal Register at a later date.

The letter to the Commissioner of Customs and the actions taken

pursuant to it are not designed to implement all of the provisions of

NAFTA, 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

October 17, 1996.

Commissioner of Customs,

Department of the Treasury, Washington, DC 20229.

Dear Commissioner: Pursuant to section 204 of the Agricultural

Act of 1956, as amended (7 U.S.C. 1854); and the North America Free

Trade Agreement (NAFTA), between the Governments of the United

States, the United Mexican States and Canada; and in accordance with

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

amended, you are directed to prohibit, effective on January 1, 1997,

entry into the United States for consumption and withdrawal from

warehouse for consumption of cotton, wool and man-made fiber textile

products in the following categories, produced or manufactured in

Mexico and exported during the twelve-month period beginning on

January 1, 1997 and extending through December 31, 1997, in excess

of the following levels:

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

Category Twelve-month limit

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

219....................................... 9,438,000 square meters.

313....................................... 16,854,000 square meters.

314....................................... 6,966,904 square meters.

315....................................... 6,966,904 square meters.

317....................................... 8,427,000 square meters.

338/339/638/639........................... 650,000 dozen.

340/640................................... 147,378 dozen.

347/348/647/648........................... 650,000 dozen.

410....................................... 397,160 square meters.

433....................................... 11,000 dozen.

443....................................... 168,730 numbers.

611....................................... 1,267,710 square meters.

633....................................... 10,000 dozen.

643....................................... 155,556 numbers.

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

Imports charged to these category limits for the period January

1, 1996 through December 31, 1996 shall be charged against those

levels of restraint to the extent of any unfilled balances. In the

event the limits established for that period have been exhausted by

previous entries, such goods shall be subject to the levels set

forth in this directive.

The levels set forth above are subject to adjustment in the

future pursuant to the provisions of Annex 300-B of the NAFTA.

The foregoing levels do not apply to NAFTA originating goods, as

defined in Annex 300-B, Chapter 4 and Annex 401 of the agreement. In

addition, restrictions and consultation levels do not apply to

textile and apparel goods that are assembled in Mexico from fabrics

wholly formed and cut in the United States and exported from and re-

imported into the United States under U.S. tariff item 9802.00.90.

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 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. 96-27084 Filed 10-22-96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F