Adjustment of Import Restraint Levels for Certain Cotton, Wool and Man-Made Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in Mexico

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Adjustment of Import Restraint Levels for Certain Cotton, Wool

and Man-Made Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in Mexico

February 26, 1996.

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

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs increasing

levels.

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EFFECTIVE DATE: March 4, 1996.

[[Page 8044]]

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

levels, 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).

The current levels for Categories 340/640 and 443 are being

increased for carryover.

These restrictions and consultation levels do not apply to NAFTA

(North America Free Trade Agreement) originating goods, as defined in

Annex 300-B, Chapter 4 and Annex 401 of the agreement. In addition,

restrictions and consultation levels do not apply to textile and

apparel goods that are assembled in Mexico from fabrics wholly formed

and cut in the United States and exported from and re-imported into the

United States under U.S. tariff item 9802.00.90.

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

60 FR 57404, published on November 15, 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

Annex 300(B) of the North America Free Trade Agreement, but are

designed to assist only in the implementation of certain of its

provisions.

D. Michael Hutchinson,

Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile

Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements

February 26, 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 8, 1995, by the Chairman,

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements. That

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

fiber textile products, produced or manufactured in Mexico and

exported during the twelve-month period beginning on January 1, 1996

and extending through December 31, 1996. The levels established in

that directive do not apply to NAFTA (North America Free Trade

Agreement) originating goods, as defined in Annex 300-B, Chapter 4

and Annex 401 of NAFTA or to goods assembled in Mexico from fabrics

wholly formed and cut in the United States and exported from and re-

imported into the United States under U.S. tariff item 9802.00.90.

Effective on March 4, 1996, you are directed to increase the

levels for the following categories, pursuant to the provisions of

the agreement between the Governments of the United States, Mexico

and Canada:

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

Twelve-month restraint level

Category \1\

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

340/640................................... 152,945 dozen.

443....................................... 180,086 numbers.

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

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

exported after December 31, 1995.

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. 96-4852 Filed 2-29-96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F