Announcement of Import Restraint Limits for Certain Cotton, Wool, Man-Made Fiber, Silk Blend and Other Vegetable Fiber Textiles and Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in Romania

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Announcement of Import Restraint Limits for Certain Cotton, Wool,

Man-Made Fiber, Silk Blend and Other Vegetable Fiber Textiles and

Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in Romania

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: Roy Unger, 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 Romania and exported during the period January 1, 1998

through December 31, 1998 are based on the 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 Romania 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 the 1998 limits. The limits for

Categories 443 and 647 have been reduced for carryforward applied to

the 1997 limits.

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

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, wool, man-made

fiber, silk blend and other vegetable fiber textiles and textile

products in the following categories, produced or manufactured in

Romania 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 limit

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

313....................................... 1,968,902 square meters.

314....................................... 1,476,676 square meters.

315....................................... 3,553,624 square meters.

333/833................................... 140,743 dozen.

334....................................... 340,192 dozen.

335/835................................... 178,276 dozen.

338/339................................... 769,400 dozen.

340....................................... 335,838 dozen.

341/840................................... 140,743 dozen.

347/348................................... 600,508 dozen.

350....................................... 31,790 dozen.

352....................................... 214,071 dozen.

359pt. \1\................................ 767,866 kilograms.

360....................................... 1,984,379 numbers.

361....................................... 1,322,920 numbers.

369pt. \2\................................ 348,252 kilograms.

410....................................... 172,003 square meters.

433/434................................... 9,527 dozen.

435....................................... 9,965 dozen.

442....................................... 11,541 dozen.

443....................................... 83,772 numbers.

444....................................... 41,970 numbers.

447/448................................... 23,146 dozen.

604....................................... 1,641,933 kilograms.

638/639................................... 704,843 dozen.

640....................................... 96,940 dozen.

647....................................... 92,290 dozen.

648....................................... 69,778 dozen.

666....................................... 140,538 kilograms.

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

\1\ Category 359pt.: all HTS numbers except 6406.99.1550.

\2\ Category 369pt.: all HTS numbers except 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 January 22, 1997) 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 Romania of its intent to continue the

bilateral visa arrangement for those products. An export visa will

continue

[[Page 63527]]

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. 97-31435 Filed 11-28-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F