Announcement of Import Limits and Special Access Levels for Certain Cotton, Wool and Man-Made Fiber Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in Colombia

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Announcement of Import Limits and Special Access Levels for

Certain Cotton, Wool and Man-Made Fiber Textile Products Produced or

Manufactured in Colombia

November 4, 1996.

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

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs establishing

limits and Special Access Levels.

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EFFECTIVE DATE: January 1, 1997.

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.

The import restraint limits for textile products, produced or

manufactured in Colombia and exported during the period January 1, 1997

through December 31, 1997 are based on limits notified to the Textiles

Monitoring Body pursuant to the Uruguay Round Agreements Act and the

Uruguay Round Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC). The Special

Access Levels are being established pursuant to Memoranda of

Understanding (MOUs) dated June 27, 1995 and August 9, 1995 between the

Governments of the United States and Colombia.

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

Commissioner of Customs to establish the 1997 limits and Special Access

Levels. Sublimits are established for products which are not subject to

the terms of the Special Access Textile Program.

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.

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; 60 FR 63512, published on December 11,

1995, and 61 FR 49439, published on September 20, 1996.

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 MOUs, the Uruguay Round Agreements Act and the ATC, 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

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), the Uruguay Round

Agreements Act and the Uruguay Round Agreement on Textiles and

Clothing (ATC); 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 Colombia and exported during

the twelve-month period beginning on January 1, 1997 and extending

through December 31, 1997, in excess of the restraint limits listed

below.

Pursuant to Memoranda of Understanding dated June 27, 1995 and

August 9, 1995 between the Governments of the United States and

Colombia; and under the terms of the Special Access Textile Program,

as set forth in 51 FR 21208 (June 11, 1986), 52 FR 26057 (July 10,

1987), 54 FR 50425 (December 6, 1989) and 61 FR 49439 (September 20,

1996), you are directed to establish Special Access Levels for

properly certified textile products in the following categories

which are assembled in Colombia from fabric formed and cut in the

United States and re-exported in the United States from Colombia

during the twelve-month period which begins on January 1, 1997 and

extends through December 31, 1997.

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Category Twelve-month limit

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315.................................... 21,635,594 square meters.

352/652 (Special Access)............... 33,708,200 dozen.

352/652 (non-Special Access sublimit).. 3,370,820 dozen.

443.................................... 125,802 numbers.

444 (Special Access)................... 209,120 numbers.

444 (non-Special Access sublimit)...... 83,648 numbers.

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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 limits set forth above are subject to adjustment in the

future according to the provisions of the Uruguay Round Agreements

Act, the ATC, and any administrative arrangement notified to the

Textiles Monitoring Body.

Any shipment for entry under the Special Access Program which is

not accompanied by a valid and correct certification and Export

Declaration in accordance with the provisions of the certification

requirements established in the directive of December 5, 1995, shall

be denied entry unless the Government of Colombia authorizes the

entry and any charges to the appropriate specific limit. Any

shipment which is declared for entry under the Special Access

Program but found not to qualify shall be denied entry into the

United States.

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 U.S.C.553(a)(1).

Sincerely,

Troy H. Cribb,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

[FR Doc.96-28852 Filed 11-8-96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F