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

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 Laos

November 4, 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: January 1, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Helen L. LeGrande, 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 Bilateral Textile Agreement of September 15, 1994, as amended

and extended, between the Governments of the United States and the Lao

People's Democratic Republic establishes a limit for Categories 340/640

for the period January 1, 1997 through December 31, 1997.

This limit is subject to revision pursuant to the Uruguay Round

Agreements Act and the Uruguay Round Agreement on Textiles and Clothing

(ATC). On the date that the Lao People's Democratic Republic becomes a

member of the World Trade Organization the restraint limit will be

modified in accordance with the ATC.

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

Commissioner of Customs to establish the 1997 limit.

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

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

November 4, 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 Bilateral Textile

Agreement of September 15, 1994, as amended and extended, between

the Governments of the United States and the Lao People's Democratic

Republic; 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

and man-made fiber textile products in Categories 340/640, produced

or manufactured in Laos and exported during the twelve-month period

beginning on January 1, 1997 and extending through December 31,

1997, in excess of 151,939 dozen.

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

1996 through December 31, 1996 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 the Lao People's Democratic Republic become a member of

the World Trade Organization, 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

[[Page 58041]]

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,

Troy H. Cribb,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

[FR Doc. 96-28847 Filed 11-8-96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F