Establishment of Import Restraint Limits for Certain Cotton, Man- Made Fiber, Silk Blend and Other Vegetable Fiber Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in the United Arab Emirates

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Establishment of Import Restraint Limits for Certain Cotton, Man-

Made Fiber, Silk Blend and Other Vegetable Fiber Textile Products

Produced or Manufactured in the United Arab Emirates

November 25, 1997.

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

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs establishing

limits.

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EFFECTIVE DATE: January 1, 1998.

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: Section 204 of the Agricultural Act of 1956, as

amended (7 U.S.C. 1854); Executive Order 11651 of March 3, 1972, as

amended.

The import restraint limits for textile products, produced or

manufactured in the United Arab Emirates and exported during the period

January 1, 1998 through December 31, 1998 are based on limits notified

to the Textiles Monitoring Body pursuant to the Uruguay Round Agreement

on Textiles and Clothing (ATC).

Pursuant to the provisions of the ATC, the second stage of the

integration commences on January 1, 1998 (see 60 FR 21075, published on

May 1, 1995). Accordingly, certain previously restrained categories may

have been modified or eliminated and certain limits may have been

revised. Integrated products will no longer be subject to quota. CITA

has informed the United Arab Emirates of its intent to continue the

bilateral visa arrangement for those products.

In the letter published below, the Chairman of CITA directs the

Commissioner of Customs to establish limits for the 1998 period. The

1998 levels for Categories 315 and 361 are zero.

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 notices 61 FR 66263, published on December 17, 1996). Also see

62 FR 51832, published on October 3, 1997. Information regarding the

1998 CORRELATION will be published in the Federal Register at a later

date.

Troy H. Cribb,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements

November 25, 1997.

Commissioner of Customs,

Department of the Treasury, Washington, DC 20229.

Dear Commissioner: Pursuant to section 204 of the Agricultural

Act of 1956, as amended (7 U.S.C. 1854); Executive Order 11651 of

March 3, 1972, as amended; and the Uruguay Round Agreement on

Textiles and Clothing (ATC), you are directed to prohibit, effective

on January 1, 1998, entry into the United States for consumption and

withdrawal from warehouse for consumption of cotton, man-made fiber,

silk blend and other vegetable fiber textiles and textile products

in the following categories, produced or manufactured in the United

Arab Emirates and exported during the twelve-month period beginning

on January 1, 1998 and extending through December 31, 1998 in excess

of the following levels of restraint:

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

Category Twelve-month restraint limit

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

219....................................... 1,246,672 square meters.

226/313................................... 2,131,840 square meters.

315....................................... -0-.

317....................................... 34,390,917 square meters.

326....................................... 2,012,461 square meters.

334/634................................... 254,068 dozen.

335/635/835............................... 174,413 dozen.

336/636................................... 220,192 dozen.

338/339................................... 628,396 dozen of which not

more than 418,930 dozen

shall be in Categories 338-

S/339-S \1\.

340/640................................... 389,572 dozen.

341/641................................... 341,130 dozen.

342/642................................... 271,008 dozen.

347/348................................... 466,809 dozen of which not

more than 233,404 dozen

shall be in Categories 347-

T/348-T \2\.

351/651................................... 194,786 dozen.

352....................................... 359,084 dozen.

361....................................... -0-.

363....................................... 6,708,201 numbers.

369-S \3\................................. 93,379 kilograms.

369-O \4\................................. 662,361 kilograms.

638/639................................... 254,068 dozen.

647/648................................... 364,165 dozen.

[[Page 63529]]

847....................................... 228,662 dozen.

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\1\ Category 338-S: only HTS numbers 6103.22.0050, 6105.10.0010,

6105.10.0030, 6105.90.8010, 6109.10.0027, 6110.20.1025, 6110.20.2040,

6110.20.2065, 6110.90.9068, 6112.11.0030 and 6114.20.0005; Category

339-S: only HTS numbers 6104.22.0060, 6104.29.2049, 6106.10.0010,

6106.10.0030, 6106.90.2510, 6106.90.3010, 6109.10.0070, 6110.20.1030,

6110.20.2045, 6110.20.2075, 6110.90.9070, 6112.11.0040, 6114.20.0010

and 6117.90.9020.

\2\ Category 347-T: only HTS numbers 6103.19.2015, 6103.19.9020,

6103.22.0030, 6103.42.1020, 6103.42.1040, 6103.49.8010, 6112.11.0050,

6113.00.9038, 6203.19.1020, 6203.19.9020, 6203.22.3020, 6203.42.4005,

6203.42.4010, 6203.42.4015, 6203.42.4025, 6203.42.4035, 6203.42.4045,

6203.49.8020, 6210.40.9033, 6211.20.1520, 6211.20.3810 and

6211.32.0040; Category 348-T: only HTS numbers 6104.12.0030,

6104.19.8030, 6104.22.0040, 6104.29.2034, 6104.62.2006, 6104.62.2011,

6104.62.2026, 6104.62.2028, 6104.69.8022, 6112.11.0060, 6113.00.9042,

6117.90.9060, 6204.12.0030, 6204.19.8030, 6204.22.3040, 6204.29.4034,

6204.62.3000, 6204.62.4005, 6204.62.4010, 6204.62.4020, 6204.62.4030,

6204.62.4040, 6204.62.4050, 6204.69.6010, 6304.69.9010. 6210.50.9060,

6211.20.1550, 6211.20.6810, 6211.42.0030 and 6217.90.9050.

\3\ Category 369-S: only HTS number 6307.10.2005.

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

S); 5601.10.1000, 5601.21.0090, 5701.90.1020, 5701.90.2020,

5702.10.9020, 5702.39.2010, 5702.49.1020, 5702.49.1080, 5702.59.1000,

5702.99.1010, 5702.99.1090, 5705.00.2020 and 6406.10.7700.

The limits set forth above are subject to adjustment pursuant to

the provisions of the ATC and administrative arrangements notified

to the Textiles Monitoring Body.

Products in the above categories exported during 1997 shall be

charged to the applicable category limits for that year (see

directive dated December 20, 1996) to the extent of any unfilled

balances. In the event the limits established for that period have

been exhausted by previous entries, such products shall be charged

to the limits set forth in this directive.

Products for integration in 1998 listed in the Federal Register

notice published on May 1, 1995 (60 FR 21075) which are exported

during 1997 shall be charged to the applicable limits to the extent

of any unfilled balances. After January 1, 1998, should those

unfilled balances be exhausted, such products shall no longer be

charged to any limit, due to integration of these products into GATT

1994.

CITA has informed the United Arab Emirates of its intent to

continue the bilateral visa arrangement for those products. An

export visa will continue to be required, if applicable, for

products integrated on and after January 1, 1998, before entry is

permitted 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 5 U.S.C. 553(a)(1).

Sincerely,

Troy H. Cribb,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

[FR Doc. 97-31434 Filed 11-28-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F