Adjustment of Import Limits and Amendment of Quota and Visa Requirements for Certain Cotton and Man-Made Fiber Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in Indonesia

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Adjustment of Import Limits and Amendment of Quota and Visa

Requirements for Certain Cotton and Man-Made Fiber Textile Products

Produced or Manufactured in Indonesia

November 19, 1996.

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

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs adjusting

limits and amending quota and visa requirements.

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

EFFECTIVE DATE: December 1, 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Janet Heinzen, 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) 927-6704. 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 November 1, 1996, the

Governments of the United States and Indonesia agreed that goods

classified in HTS numbers 5516.14.0005, 5516.14.0025, 5516.14.0085

(Category 611), 5408.24.9010, 5408.24.9040 (Category 618); 5408.34.9085

and 5516.24.0085 (Category 629) which are produced or manufactured in

Indonesia and imported on or after December 1, 1996 will no longer be

subject to quota and visa requirements. The new designations for

Categories 611, 618 and 629 will be 611-O, 618-O and 629-O,

respectively.

Also, the two governments agreed to increase the 1996 limits for

Categories 336/636 and 342/642 for special swing, reducing the limit

for Category 618-O to account for the increase.

Effective on December 1, 1996, goods in Categories 611, 618 and

629, produced or manufactured in Indonesia and exported from Indonesia

on or after December 1, 1996 must be accompanied by a 611-O, 618-O or

629-O part-category visa. Goods currently visaed as 625/626/627/628/629

which are exported from Indonesia on or after December 1, 1996 shall be

visaed as merged Categories 625/626/627/628/629-O, or the correct

category or correct part-category corresponding to the actual shipment.

There will be a grace period from December 1, 1996 through December 31,

1996 during which goods exported from Indonesia in Categories 611, 618

and 629 may be accompanied by the whole or new part-category visa.

During the grace period merged Categories 625/626/627/628/629 may be

accompanied by the whole merged category, the new merged part-category

visa, or the correct whole or part category visa corresponding to the

actual shipment.

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

Commissioner of Customs to adjust limits and amend export quota and

visa requirements.

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

52 FR 20134, published on May 29, 1987; and 60 FR 62410, published on

December 6, 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, the Uruguay Round Agreement on

Textiles and Clothing and the November 1, 1996 MOU, but are designed to

assist only in the implementation of certain of their provisions.

D. Michael Hutchinson,

Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile

Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements

November 19, 1996.

Commissioner of Customs,

Department of the Treasury, Washington, DC 20229.

Dear Commissioner: This directive amends, but does not cancel,

the directive issued to you on November 30, 1995, by the Chairman,

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements. That

directive concerns imports of certain cotton, wool, man-made fiber,

silk blend and other vegetable fiber textiles and textile products,

produced or manufactured in Indonesia and exported during the

twelve-month period which began on January 1, 1996 and extends

through December 31, 1996.

Effective on December 1, 1996, goods classified in HTS numbers

5516.14.0005, 5516.14.0025, 5516.14.0085 (Category 611),

5408.24.9010, 5408.24.9040 (Category 618); 5408.34.9085 and

5516.24.0085 (Category 629) which are produced or manufactured in

Indonesia and imported on or after December 1, 1996 will no longer

be subject to quota and visa requirements, pursuant to a Memorandum

of Understanding dated November 1, 1996 between the Governments of

the United States and Indonesia and under the terms of the Uruguay

Round Agreements Act and the Uruguay Round Agreement on Textiles and

Clothing. The new designations for Categories 611, 618 and 629 will

be 611-O \1\, 618-O \2\ and 629-O \3\, respectively.

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

\1\ Category 611-O: all HTS numbers except 5516.14.0005,

5516.14.0025 and 5516.14.0085.

\2\ Category 618-O: all HTS numbers except 5408.24.9010 and

5408.24.9040.

\3\ Category 629-O: all HTS numbers except 5408.34.9085 and

5516.24.0085.

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

Also effective on December 1, 1996, you are directed to adjust

the current limits for the following categories:

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

Adjusted twelve-month limit

Category \1\

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

Levels in Group I

336/636................................... 615,844 dozen.

342/642................................... 384,088 dozen.

618-O..................................... 1,113,422 square meters.

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

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

exported after December 31, 1995.

Effective on December 1, 1996, you are directed to amend

further, the directive dated May 19, 1987, to require a part-

category visa for Categories 611-O, 618-O and 629-O, produced or

manufactured in Indonesia and exported from Indonesia on or after

December 1, 1996. Goods currently visaed as 625/626/627/628/629

which are exported from Indonesia on or after December 1, 1996 shall

be visaed as merged Categories 625/626/627/628/629-O, or the correct

category or correct part-category corresponding to the actual

shipment. There will be a grace period from December 1, 1996 through

December 31, 1996 during which goods exported from Indonesia in

Categories 611, 618 and 629 may be accompanied by the whole or new

part-category visa. During the grace period goods in merged

Categories 625/626/627/628/629 may be accompanied by the whole

merged category, the new merged part-category visa, or the correct

whole or part category visa corresponding to the actual shipment.

Shipments entered or withdrawn from warehouse according to this

directive which are not accompanied by an appropriate export visa

shall be denied entry and a new visa must be obtained.

The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements has

determined that these actions fall within the foreign affairs

[[Page 59867]]

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

D. Michael Hutchinson,

Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile

Agreements.

[FR Doc.96-30047 Filed 11-22-96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F