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

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

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

Fiber Textiles and Textile Products and Silk Blend and Other Vegetable

Fiber Apparel Produced or Manufactured in the Philippines

September 19, 1997.

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

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs adjusting

import limits.

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EFFECTIVE DATE: September 23, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Janet Heinzen, 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); Uruguay Round Agreements Act.

The current limits for certain categories are being adjusted,

variously, for swing, special shift and carryforward.

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 64507, published on December 5, 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, 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

September 19, 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 29, 1996, by the Chairman,

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements. That

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

fiber textiles and textile products and silk blend and other

vegetable fiber apparel, produced or manufactured in the Philippines

and exported during the twelve-month period beginning on January 1,

1997 and extending through December 31, 1997.

Effective on September 23, 1997, you are directed to adjust the

current limits for the following categories, pursuant to the Uruguay

Round Agreements Act and the Uruguay Round Agreement on Textiles and

Clothing:

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

Adjusted twelve-month limit

Category \1\

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

Levels in Group I

237....................................... 1,358,802 dozen.

331/631................................... 5,654,141 dozen pairs.

333/334................................... 242,549 dozen of which not

more than 40,848 dozen

shall be in Category 333.

335....................................... 77,287 dozen.

338/339................................... 2,380,268 dozen.

345....................................... 191,417 dozen.

359-C/659-C \2\........................... 1,454,874 kilograms.

433....................................... 3,712 dozen.

445/446................................... 33,634 dozen.

447....................................... 8,971 dozen.

633....................................... 37,332 dozen.

634....................................... 621,397 dozen.

635....................................... 415,492 dozen.

636....................................... 1,745,780 dozen.

638/639................................... 2,364,122 dozen.

645/646................................... 769,333 dozen.

649....................................... 7,425,078 dozen.

847....................................... 235,498 dozen.

[[Page 49670]]

Group II

200-229, 300-326, 330, 332, 349, 353, 354, 158,991,713 square meters

359-O \3\, 360, 362, 363, 369-O \4\, 400- equivalent.

414, 432, 434-442, 444, 448, 459, 464-

469, 600-607, 613-629, 630, 632, 644,

653, 654, 659-O \5\, 665, 666, 669-O \6\,

670-O \7\, 831-846 and 850-859, as a

group.

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

exported after December 31, 1996.

\2\ Category 359-C: only HTS numbers 6103.42.2025, 6103.49.8034,

6104.62.1020, 6104.69.8010, 6114.20.0048, 6114.20.0052, 6203.42.2010,

6203.42.2090, 6204.62.2010, 6211.32.0010, 6211.32.0025 and

6211.42.0010; Category 659-C: only HTS numbers 6103.23.0055,

6103.43.2020, 6103.43.2025, 6103.49.2000, 6103.49.8038, 6104.63.1020,

6104.63.1030, 6104.69.1000, 6104.69.8014, 6114.30.3044, 6114.30.3054,

6203.43.2010, 6203.43.2090, 6203.49.1010, 6203.49.1090, 6204.63.1510,

6204.69.1010, 6210.10.9010, 6211.33.0010, 6211.33.0017 and

6211.43.0010.

\3\ Category 359-O: all HTS numbers except 6103.42.2025, 6103.49.8034,

6104.62.1020, 6104.69.8010, 6114.20.0048, 6114.20.0052, 6203.42.2010,

6203.42.2090, 6204.62.2010, 6211.32.0010, 6211.32.0025 and

6211.42.0010 (Category 359-C).

\4\ Category 369-O: all HTS numbers except 6307.10.2005 (Category 369-

S).

\5\ Category 659-O: all HTS numbers except 6103.23.0055, 6103.43.2020,

6103.43.2025, 6103.49.2000, 6103.49.8038, 6104.63.1020, 6104.63.1030,

6104.69.1000, 6104.69.8014, 6114.30.3044, 6114.30.3054, 6203.43.2010,

6203.43.2090, 6203.49.1010, 6203.49.1090, 6204.63.1510, 6204.69.1010,

6210.10.9010, 6211.33.0010, 6211.33.0017, 6211.43.0010 (Category 659-

C); 6502.00.9030, 6504.00.9015, 6504.00.9060, 6505.90.5090,

6505.90.6090, 6505.90.7090 and 6505.90.8090 (Category 659-H).

\6\ Category 669-O: all HTS numbers except 6305.32.0010, 6305.32.0020,

6305.33.0010, 6305.33.0020 and 6305.39.0000 (Category 669-P).

\7\ Category 670-O: all HTS numbers except 4202.12.8030, 4202.12.8070,

4202.92.3020, 4202.92.3030 and 4202.92.9025 (Category 670-L).

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. 97-25363 Filed 9-22-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F