Establishment of an Import Limit for Certain Cotton and Man-Made Fiber Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in Costa Rica

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Establishment of an Import Limit for Certain Cotton and Man-Made

Fiber Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in Costa Rica

March 18, 1996.

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

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs establishing

a limit.

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EFFECTIVE DATE: March 27, 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Aldrich, International Trade

Specialist, Office of Textiles and Apparel, U.S. Department of

Commerce, (202) 482-4212. For information on the quota status of this

limit, 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. For information

on categories on which consultations have been requested, call (202)

482-3740.

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 United States Government has decided to continue the restraint

limit on Categories 352/652 for an additional twelve-month period,

beginning on March 27, 1996 and extending through March 26, 1997.

This action is taken in accordance with the Uruguay Round Agreement

on Textiles and Clothing and the Uruguay Round Agreements Act.

The United States remains committed to finding a mutual solution

concerning Categories 352/652. Should such a solution be reached in

consultations with the Government of Costa Rica, further notice will be

published in the Federal Register.

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

61 FR 3002, published on January 30, 1996.

Troy H. Cribb,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements

March 18, 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; and in accordance with the provisions of Executive Order

11651 of March 30, 1972, as amended, you are directed to prohibit,

effective on March 27, 1996, entry into the United States for

consumption and withdrawal from warehouse for consumption of cotton

and man-made fiber textile products in Categories 352/652, produced

or manufactured in Costa Rica and exported during the twelve-month

period beginning on March 27, 1996 and extending through March 26,

1997, in excess of 15,288,569 dozen.

Imports charged to this category limit for the period March 27,

1995 through March 26, 1996 shall be charged against that level of

restraint to the extent of any unfilled balance. Goods in excess of

that limit will be subject to the limit established in this

directive.

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 this action falls 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. 96-7055 Filed 3-21-96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F