Adjustment of Import Limits for Certain Cotton, Wool, Man-Made Fiber, Silk Blend and Other Vegetable Fiber Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in Thailand

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Adjustment of Import Limits for Certain Cotton, Wool, Man-Made

Fiber, Silk Blend and Other Vegetable Fiber Textile Products Produced

or Manufactured in Thailand

May 8, 1997.

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

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs reducing

import limits.

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EFFECTIVE DATE: May 16, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ross Arnold, 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.

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); Uruguay Round Agreements Act.

The limits for certain categories are being reduced for

carryforward used in 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 61 FR 66263, published on December 17, 1996). Also see

61 FR 58044, published on November 12, 1996.

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 Uruguay Round Agreement on

Textiles and Clothing, 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

May 8, 1997.

Commissioner of Customs,

Department of the Treasury, Washington, DC 20229.

Dear Commissioner: This directive amends, but does not cancel,

the directive issued to you on November 4, 1996, by the Chairman,

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements. That

directive concerns imports of certain cotton, wool, man-made fiber,

silk blend and other vegetable fiber textiles and textile products,

produced or manufactured in Thailand and exported during the twelve-

month period beginning on January 1, 1997 and extending through

December 31, 1997.

Effective on May 16, 1997, you are directed to reduce the limits

for the following categories, as provided for under the Uruguay

Round Agreements Act and the Uruguay Round Agreement on Textiles and

Clothing:

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Adjusted twelve-month limit

Category \1\

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Levels in Group I

200....................................... 1,037,287 kilograms.

619....................................... 6,320,362 square meters.

620....................................... 6,277,577 square meters.

Sublevels in Group II

338/339................................... 1,766,945 dozen.

347/348/847............................... 758,118 dozen.

435....................................... 52,242 dozen.

442....................................... 19,224 dozen.

638/639................................... 2,017,392 dozen.

647/648................................... 994,765 dozen.

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

exported after December 31, 1996.

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. 97-12678 Filed 5-13-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F