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

January 11, 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 23, 1996.

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).

The import restraint limits for textile products, produced or

manufactured in the Dominican Republic and exported during the period

January 1, 1996 through December 31, 1996 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 1996 limits. A directive to

reduce the limits for certain categories for carryforward used during

1995 will be published in the Federal Register at a later date.

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).

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 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

January 11, 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), 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 23, 1996, 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, 1996

and extending through December 31, 1996, in excess of the following

limits:

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Category Restraint limit

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338/638................................ 737,674 dozen.

339/639................................ 877,832 dozen.

340/640................................ 759,395 dozen.

342/642................................ 534,404 dozen.

347/348/647/648........................ 1,817,844 dozen of which not

more than 960,368 dozen shall

be in Categories 647/648.

351/651................................ 910,385 dozen.

352/652................................ 9,500,000 dozen.

433.................................... 21,136 dozen.

442.................................... 71,761 dozen.

443.................................... 131,287 numbers.

444.................................... 71,761 numbers.

448.................................... 36,968 dozen.

633.................................... 111,426 dozen.

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Imports charged to these category limits for the periods January

1, 1995 through December 31, 1995 and March 27, 1995 through

December 31, 1995 (Categories 352/652) shall be charged against

those levels of restraint to the extent of any unfilled balances. In

the event the limits established for those periods 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 23,

1996, 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, 1996 through December 31, 1996:

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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.

[[Page 1360]]

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,

Troy H. Cribb,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

[FR Doc.96-616 Filed 1-18-96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F