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

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 Jamaica 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). The Guaranteed

Access Levels are being established pursuant to a Memorandum of

Understanding dated December 8, 1993 between the Governments of the

United States and Jamaica.

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, 1996 through December 31, 1996.

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 6049, published on February 27, 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.

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, 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, 1996 and extending through December 31,

1996, in excess of the following levels of restraint:

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Category Twelve-month restraint limit

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331/631................................ 577,813 dozen pairs.

338/339/638/639........................ 1,139,296 dozen.

340/640................................ 532,764 dozen of which not more

than 450,801 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................................ 668,989 dozen.

345/845................................ 165,075 dozen.

347/348/647/648........................ 1,229,727 dozen.

351/651................................ 375,000 dozen.

352/652................................ 1,837,444 dozen.

445/446................................ 51,658 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, 1995 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.

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 arrangement notified to the

Textiles Monitoring Body.

Pursuant to the Memorandum of Understanding dated December 8,

1993 between the Governments of the United States and Jamaica; and

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), 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, 1996 and extends

through December 31, 1996.

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

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.

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

[[Page 1361]]

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

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

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

447.................................... 30,000 dozen.

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

The limits set forth above are subject to adjustment in the

future pursuant to the provisions of the Uruguay Round Agreements

Act, the ATC and any administrative arrangements notified to the

Textiles Monitoring Body.

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.96-617 Filed 1-18-96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F