Establishment of Import Restraint Limits for Certain Cotton, Man- Made Fiber, Silk Blend and Other Vegetable Fiber Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in the United Arab Emirates

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Establishment of Import Restraint Limits for Certain Cotton, Man-

Made Fiber, Silk Blend and Other Vegetable Fiber Textile Products

Produced or Manufactured in the United Arab Emirates

March 5, 1996.

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

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs establishing

limits.

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EFFECTIVE DATE: March 14, 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) 927-5850. 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 Governments of the United States and the United Arab Emirates

agreed to extend their Bilateral Textile Agreement, effected by

exchange of notes dated March 29 and July 21, 1994 for two consecutive

one-year periods, beginning on January 1, 1996 and extending through

December 31, 1997.

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

Commissioner of Customs to establish limits for the 1996 period. The

1996 levels for Categories 315 and 361 are zero.

These limits may be subject to revision pursuant to the Uruguay

Round Agreements Act and the Uruguay Round Agreement on Textiles and

Clothing (ATC) on the date that the United Arab Emirates becomes a

member of the World Trade Organization.

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 notices 60 FR 65299, published on December 19, 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 bilateral agreement, but are designed to assist only in the

implementation of certain of its provisions.

Troy H. Cribb,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements

March 5, 1996.

Commissioner of Customs,

Department of the Treasury, Washington, DC 20229.

Dear Commissioner: Under the terms of section 204 of the

Agricultural Act of 1956, as amended (7 U.S.C. 1854); pursuant to

the Bilateral Textile Agreement, effected by exchange of notes dated

March 29 and July 21, 1994, as extended, between the Governments of

the United States and the United Arab Emirates; and in accordance

with the provisions of Executive Order 11651 of March 3, 1972, as

amended and extended, you are directed to prohibit, effective on

March 14, 1996, entry into the United States for consumption and

withdrawal from warehouse for consumption of cotton, man-made fiber,

silk blend and other vegetable fiber textiles and textile products

in the following 72categories, produced or manufactured in the

United Arab Emirates and exported during the twelve-month period

beginning on January 1, 1996 and extending through December 31, 1996

in excess of the following levels of restraint:

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

Twelve-month restraint limit

Category \1\

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

219....................................... 1,044,065 square meters.

226/313................................... 1,785,378 square meters.

315....................................... -0-.

317....................................... 28,801,787 square meters.

326....................................... 1,685,400 square meters.

334/634................................... 212,778 dozen.

335/635/835............................... 146,068 dozen.

336/636................................... 184,407 dozen.

338/339................................... 526,271 dozen of which not

more than 350,846 dozen

shall be in Categories 338-

S/339-S \2\.

340/640................................... 326,260 dozen.

341/641................................... 285,690 dozen.

342/642................................... 226,964 dozen.

347/348................................... 390,944 dozen of which not

more than 195,471 dozen

shall be in Categories 347-

T/348-T \3\.

351/651................................... 163,130 dozen.

352....................................... 300,726 dozen.

361....................................... -0-.

363....................................... 5,618,000 numbers.

369-S \4\................................. 78,204 kilograms.

369-O \5\................................. 562,442 kilograms.

638/639................................... 212,778 dozen.

647/648................................... 304,982 dozen.

847....................................... 191,500 dozen.

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

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

exported after December 31, 1995.

\2\ Category 338-S: only HTS numbers 6103.22.0050, 6105.10.0010,

6105.10.0030, 6105.90.8010, 6109.10.0027, 6110.20.1025, 6110.20.2040,

6110.20.2065, 6110.90.9068, 6112.11.0030 and 6114.20.0005; Category

339-S: only HTS numbers 6104.22.0060, 6104.29.2049, 6106.10.0010,

6106.10.0030, 6106.90.2510, 6106.90.3010, 6109.10.0070, 6110.20.1030,

6110.20.2045, 6110.20.2075, 6110.90.9070, 6112.11.0040, 6114.20.0010

and 6117.90.9020.

\3\ Category 347-T: only HTS numbers 6103.19.2015, 6103.19.9020,

6103.22.0030, 6103.42.1020, 6103.42.1040, 6103.49.8010, 6112.11.0050,

6113.00.9038, 6203.19.1020, 6203.19.9020, 6203.22.3020, 6203.42.4005,

6203.42.4010, 6203.42.4015, 6203.42.4025, 6203.42.4035, 6203.42.4045,

6203.49.8020, 6210.40.9033, 6211.20.1520, 6211.20.3810 and

6211.32.0040; Category 348-T: only HTS numbers 6104.12.0030,

6104.19.8030, 6104.22.0040, 6104.29.2034, 6104.62.2010, 6104.62.2025,

6104.69.8022, 6112.11.0060, 6113.00.9042, 6117.90.9060, 6204.12.0030,

6204.19.8030, 6204.22.3040, 6204.29.4034, 6204.62.3000, 6204.62.4005,

6204.62.4010, 6204.62.4020, 6204.62.4030, 6204.62.4040, 6204.62.4050,

6204.69.6010, 6304.69.9010. 6210.50.9060, 6211.20.1550, 6211.20.6810,

6211.42.0030 and 6217.90.9050.

\4\ Category 369-S: only HTS number 6307.10.2005.

\5\ Category 369-O: all HTS numbers except 6307.10.2005 (Category 369-

S).

Imports charged to these category limits for the period

beginning January 1, 1995 and extending through December 31, 1995

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.

Should the United Arab Emirates become a member of the World

Trade Organization (WTO), the limits set forth above will be subject

to adjustment in the future pursuant to the provisions of the

Uruguay Round Agreements Act, the Uruguay Round Agreement on

Textiles and Clothing 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.

[[Page 9983]]

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,

Troy H. Cribb,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

[FR Doc. 96-5753 Filed 3-11-96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F