Announcement of Import Restraint Limits and Guaranteed Access Levels for Certain Cotton, Wool, Man-Made Fiber and Other Vegetable Fiber Textiles and Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in Jamaica

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Announcement of Import Restraint Limits and Guaranteed Access

Levels for Certain Cotton, Wool, Man-Made Fiber and Other Vegetable

Fiber Textiles and Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in Jamaica

December 18, 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 Jamaica 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 limits and guaranteed access

levels for the period January 1, 1997 through December 31, 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 notices 51 FR 21208, published on June

11, 1986; 52 FR 6049, published on February 27, 1987; 52 FR 26057,

published on July 10, 1987; 54 FR 50425, published on December 6, 1989,

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 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

December 18, 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, man-made fiber and other vegetable fiber textiles and

textile products in the following categories, produced or

manufactured in Jamaica and exported during the twelve-month period

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

1997, in excess of the following levels of restraint:

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

Category Twelve-month restraint limit

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331/631................................ 621,149 dozen pairs.

338/339/638/639........................ 1,224,743 dozen.

340/640................................ 572,721 dozen of which not more

than 484,611 dozen shall be in

shirts made from fabrics with

two or more colors in the warp

and/or the filling in

Categories 340-Y/640-Y \1\.

341/641................................ 719,163 dozen.

345/845................................ 177,456 dozen.

347/348/647/648........................ 1,321,957 dozen.

352/652................................ 1,975,252 dozen.

445/446................................ 52,304 dozen.

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\1\ Category 340-Y: only HTS numbers 6205.20.2015, 6205.20.2020,

6205.20.2046, 6205.20.2050 and 6205.20.2060; Category 640-Y: only HTS

numbers 6205.30.2010, 6205.30.2020, 6205.30.2050 and 6205.30.2060.

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.

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

1996), you are directed to establish guaranteed access levels for

properly certified cotton, man-made fiber and other vegetable fiber

textile products in the following categories which are assembled in

Jamaica from fabric formed and cut in the United States and re-

exported to the United States from Jamaica during the twelve-month

period which begins on January 1, 1997 and extends through December

31, 1997:

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

Category Guaranteed Access Level

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

331/631................................ 1,320,000 dozen pairs.

336/636................................ 125,000 dozen.

338/339/638/639........................ 1,500,000 dozen.

340/640................................ 300,000 dozen.

341/641................................ 375,000 dozen.

342/642................................ 200,000 dozen.

[[Page 67774]]

345/845................................ 50,000 dozen.

347/348/647/648........................ 2,000,000 dozen.

352/652................................ 10,500,000 dozen.

447.................................... 30,000 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 19, 1987 shall

be denied entry unless the Government of Jamaica 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.

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.96-32618 Filed 12-23-96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F