Announcement of Import Restraint 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

Announcement of Import Restraint 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

December 1, 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 Philippines 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 Philippines 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.

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

[[Page 64362]]

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

December 1, 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 and man-

made fiber textiles and textile products and silk blend and other

vegetable fiber apparel in the following categories, produced or

manufactured in the Philippines 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

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

Levels in Group I

237....................................... 1,778,722 dozen.

331/631................................... 5,760,064 dozen pairs.

333/334................................... 278,639 dozen of which not

more than 40,002 dozen

shall be in Category 333.

335....................................... 181,366 dozen.

336....................................... 660,007 dozen.

338/339................................... 2,205,492 dozen.

340/640................................... 979,367 dozen.

341/641................................... 883,755 dozen.

342/642................................... 570,873 dozen.

345....................................... 170,005 dozen.

347/348................................... 2,000,023 dozen.

350....................................... 150,499 dozen.

351/651................................... 622,650 dozen.

352/652................................... 2,445,309 dozen.

359-C/659-C \1\........................... 845,963 kilograms.

431....................................... 170,585 dozen pairs.

433....................................... 3,359 dozen.

443....................................... 40,616 numbers.

445/446................................... 27,742 dozen.

447....................................... 7,713 dozen.

633....................................... 36,784 dozen.

634....................................... 456,391 dozen.

635....................................... 347,263 dozen

636....................................... 1,720,018 dozen.

638/639................................... 2,265,641 dozen.

643....................................... 878,616 numbers.

645/646................................... 754,665 dozen.

647/648................................... 1,206,794 dozen.

649....................................... 7,616,022 dozen.

650....................................... 107,717 dozen.

659-H \2\................................. 1,417,273 kilograms.

847....................................... 940,051 dozen.

Group II

200-227, 300-326, 332, 359-O \3\, 360, 189,927,480 square meters

361, 362, 363, 369-S \4\, 369-O \5\, 400- equivalent.

414, 434-438, 440, 442, 444, 448, 459pt.

\6\, 464, 469pt. \7\, 600-611, 613-629,

644, 659-O \8\, 666, 669-O \9\, 670-O

\10\, 831, 833-838, 840-846, 850-858 and

859pt. \11\, as a group.

Sublevel in Group II

361....................................... 1,901,046 numbers.

369-S..................................... 430,919 kilograms.

604....................................... 2,015,470 kilograms.

611....................................... 5,705,190 square meters.

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

\1\ 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.

\2\ Category 659-H: only HTS numbers 6502.00.9030, 6504.00.9015,

6504.00.9060, 6505.90.5090, 6505.90.6090, 6505.90.7090 and

6505.90.8090.

\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, 6211.42.0010

(Category 359-C); and 6406.99.1550 (359pt.).

\4\ Category 369-S: only HTS number 6307.10.2005.

\5\ 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 (Category

369pt.).

\6\ Category 459pt.: all HTS numbers except 6405.20.6030, 6405.20.6060,

6405.20.6090, 6406.99.1505 and 6406.99.1560.

\7\ Category 469pt.: all HTS numbers except 5601.29.0020, 5603.94.1010

and 6406.10.9020.

\8\ 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, 6505.90.8090 (Category 659-H);

6406.99.1510 and 6406.99.1540 (Category 659pt.).

\9\ Category 669-O: all HTS numbers except 6305.32.0010, 6305.32.0020,

6305.33.0010, 6305.33.0020, 6305.39.0000 (Category 669-P);

5601.10.2000, 5601.22.0090, 5607.49.3000, 5607.50.4000 and

6406.10.9040 (Category 669pt.).

\10\ 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).

\11\ Category 859pt.: only HTS numbers 6115.19.8040, 6117.10.6020,

6212.10.5030, 6212.10.9040, 6212.20.0030, 6212.30.0030, 6212.90.0090,

6214.10.2000 and 6214.90.0090.

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 November 29, 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 Philippines 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. 97-31884 Filed 12-4-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F