Announcement of an Import Restraint Limit for Certain Cotton and Man-Made Fiber Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in Laos

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Announcement of an Import Restraint Limit for Certain Cotton and

Man-Made Fiber Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in Laos

January 17, 1996.

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

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs establishing

a limit.

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

EFFECTIVE DATE: January 24, 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Helen L. LeGrande, 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.

[[Page 1750]]

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 Lao People's

Democratic Republic agreed to extend their current agreement 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.

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).

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.

D. Michael Hutchinson,

Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile

Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements

January 17, 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 of September 15, 1994 between the

Governments of the United States and the Lao People's Democratic

Republic; and in accordance with the provisions of Executive Order

11651 of March 3, 1972, as amended, you are directed to prohibit,

effective on January 24, 1996, entry into the United States for

consumption and withdrawal from warehouse for consumption of cotton

and man-made fiber textile products in Categories 340/640, produced

or manufactured in Laos and exported during the twelve-month period

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

1996, in excess of 144,704 dozen.

Imports charged to the limit for Categories 340/640 for the

period January 1, 1995 through December 31, 1995 shall be charged

against that level of restraint to the extent of any unfilled

balance. In the even the limit established for that period has been

exhausted by previous entries, such goods shall be subject to the

level set forth in this directive.

The level set forth above is subject to adjustment in the future

according to the provisions of the current bilateral agreement

between the Governments of the United States and the Lao People's

Democratic Republic.

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 to 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. 96-890 Filed 1-22-96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-M