Announcement of Import Restraint Limits and Guaranteed Access Levels for Certain Cotton and Man-Made Fiber Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in El Salvador

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Announcement of Import Restraint Limits and Guaranteed Access

Levels for Certain Cotton and Man-Made Fiber Textile Products Produced

or Manufactured in El Salvador

November 19, 1996.

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

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs establishing

import limits and guaranteed 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 El Salvador 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

Guaranteed Access Levels are being established pursuant to Memoranda of

Understanding (MOUs) dated September 26, 1994 and July 6, 1995 between

the Governments of the United States and El Salvador and July 18, 1996

for Category 342/642.

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

Commissioner of Customs to establish limits and guaranteed access

levels for 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).

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 notice 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 2740, published on January 11, 1995, 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 Uruguay Round Agreements Act and the ATC, 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: 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 and man-made fiber textile products in the following

categories, produced or manufactured in El Salvador and exported

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

December 31, 1997, in excess of the following restraint limits:

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Category Twelve-month limit

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340/640................................... 1,024,895 dozen.

342/642................................... 337,500 dozen.

352/652................................... 7,000,000 dozen.

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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 arrangements notified to the

Textiles Monitoring Body.

Pursuant to Memoranda of Understanding dated September 26, 1994

and July 6, 1995 between the Governments of the United States and El

Salvador; and under the terms of the Special Access 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),

effective on January 1, 1997, guaranteed access levels are being

established for properly certified textile products assembled in El

Salvador from fabric formed and cut in the United States in the

following categories which are re-exported to the United States from

El Salvador during the period January 1, 1997 through December 31,

1997:

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Category Guaranteed Access Level

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340/640................................... 1,000,000 dozen.

342/642................................... 400,000 dozen.

352/652................................... 30,000,000 dozen.

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[[Page 59865]]

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 January 6, 1995, shall

be denied entry unless the Government of El Salvador 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.

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,

D. Michael Hutchinson,

Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile

Agreements.

[FR Doc. 96-30049 Filed 11-22-96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F