Announcement of Import Restraint Limits and Guaranteed Access Levels for Certain Cotton, Wool and Man-Made Fiber Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in the Dominican Republic

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Announcement of Import Restraint Limits and Guaranteed Access

Levels for Certain Cotton, Wool and Man-Made Fiber Textile Products

Produced or Manufactured in the Dominican Republic

December 6, 1996.

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

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs establishing

limits and guaranteed access levels.

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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) 927-5850. 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 and Guaranteed Access Levels (GALs) for

textile products, produced or manufactured in the Dominican Republic

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).

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

Commissioner of Customs to establish the 1997 limits and GALs.

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).

[[Page 65376]]

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 6594, published on March 4, 1987; 52 FR 26057,

published on July 10, 1987; and 54 FR 50425, published on December 6,

1989.

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

December 6, 1996.

Commissioner of Customs,

Department of the Treasury, Washington, DC 20229.

Dear Commissioner: Pursuant the 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 the Dominican Republic and

exported during the twelve-month period beginning on January 1, 1997

and extending through December 31, 1997, in excess of the following

limits:

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Category Restraint limit

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338/638................................ 793,000 dozen.

339/639................................ 943,669 dozen.

340/640................................ 816,350 dozen.

342/642................................ 574,484 dozen.

347/348/647/648........................ 1,954,182 dozen of which not

more than 1,032,396 dozen

shall be in Categories 647/

648.

351/651................................ 978,664 dozen.

352/652................................ 10,070,000 dozen.

433.................................... 21,400 dozen.

442.................................... 72,658 dozen.

443.................................... 132,928 numbers.

444.................................... 72,658 numbers.

448.................................... 37,430 dozen.

633.................................... 119,783 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.

Additionally, under the terms of the Special Access Program, as

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

1987), and 54 FR 50425 (December 6, 1989), effective on January 1,

1997, guaranteed access levels are being established for properly

certified textile products assembled in the Dominican Republic from

fabric formed and cut in the United States in cotton, wool and man-

made fiber textile products in the following categories for the

period January 1, 1997 through December 31, 1997:

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Category Guaranteed access level

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338/638................................ 1,150,000 dozen.

339/639................................ 1,150,000 dozen.

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

342/642................................ 1,000,000 dozen.

347/348/647/648........................ 8,050,000 dozen.

351/651................................ 1,000,000 dozen.

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

433.................................... 21,000 dozen.

442.................................... 65,000 dozen.

443.................................... 50,000 numbers.

444.................................... 30,000 numbers.

448.................................... 40,000 dozen.

633.................................... 60,000 dozen.

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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 February 25, 1987, as

amended, shall be denied entry unless the Government of the

Dominican Republic authorizes the entry and any charges to the

appropriate specific limits. 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 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.

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,

D. Michael Hutchinson,

Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile

Agreements.

[FR Doc. 96-31537 Filed 12-11-96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F