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 Thailand

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 Thailand

December 5, 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: 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 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:

[[Page 65247]]

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 Thailand 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) and a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) dated October

28, 1997 between the Governments of the United States and Thailand.

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 Thailand 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 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 5, 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; the Uruguay Round Agreement on Textiles

and Clothing (ATC); and a Memorandum of Understanding dated October

28, 1997, 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 Thailand and

exported during the twelve-month period beginning on January 1, 1998

and extending through December 31, 1998, in excess of the following

limits:

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

Category Twelve-month restraint limit

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

239pt. \1\................................ 1,820,473 kilograms.

Levels in Group I

200....................................... 1,188,153 kilograms.

218....................................... 19,052,219 square meters.

219....................................... 6,336,820 square meters.

300....................................... 4,752,615 kilograms.

301-P \2\................................. 4,752,615 kilograms.

301-O \3\................................. 950,524 kilograms.

313....................................... 22,178,868 square meters.

314....................................... 50,694,554 square meters.

315....................................... 31,684,096 square meters.

317/326................................... 13,301,290 square meters.

363....................................... 20,594,662 numbers.

369-D \4\................................. 226,542 kilograms.

369-S \5\................................. 316,841 kilograms.

603....................................... 2,233,000 kilograms.

604....................................... 741,300 kilograms of which

not more than 475,261

kilograms shall be in

Category 604-A \6\.

607....................................... 3,168,408 kilograms.

611....................................... 12,984,460 square meters.

613/614/615............................... 47,884,640 square meters of

which not more than

27,882,005 square meters

shall be in Categories 613/

615 and not more than

27,882,005 square meters

shall be in Category 614.

617....................................... 17,291,675 square meters.

619....................................... 7,128,921 square meters.

620....................................... 7,128,921 square meters.

625/626/627/628/629....................... 13,966,353 square meters of

which not more than

11,089,433 square meters

shall be in Category 625.

669-P \7\................................. 6,682,434 kilograms.

Group II

237, 331-348, 350-352, 359-H \8\, 359pt. 290,686,162 square meters

\9\, 431, 433-438, 440, 442-448, 459pt. equivalent.

\10\, 631, 633-652, 659-H \11\, 659pt.

\12\, 831, 833-838, 840-858 and 859pt.

\13\, as a group.

Sublevels in Group II

331/631................................. 1,729,340 dozen pairs.

334/634................................. 617,840 dozen.

335/635/835............................. 491,103 dozen.

336/636................................. 316,841 dozen.

338/339................................. 1,909,005 dozen.

340..................................... 285,157 dozen.

341/641................................. 673,287 dozen.

342/642................................. 586,156 dozen.

345..................................... 300,999 dozen.

347/348/847............................. 827,746 dozen.

351/651................................. 237,630 dozen.

359-H/659-H............................. 1,390,006 kilograms.

433..................................... 9,642 dozen.

434..................................... 11,902 dozen.

435..................................... 54,085 dozen.

438..................................... 17,853 dozen.

442..................................... 20,732 dozen.

638/639................................. 2,249,899 dozen.

640..................................... 522,787 dozen.

645/646................................. 316,841 dozen.

647/648................................. 1,127,954 dozen.

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

\1\ Category 239pt.: only HTS number 6209.20.5040 (diapers).

\2\ Category 301-P: only HTS numbers 5206.21.0000, 5206.22.0000,

5206.23.0000, 5206.24.0000, 5206.25.0000, 5206.41.0000, 5206.42.0000,

5206.43.0000, 5206.44.0000 and 5206.45.0000.

\3\ Category 301-O: only HTS numbers 5205.21.0020, 5205.21.0090,

5205.22.0020, 5205.22.0090, 5205.23.0020, 5205.23.0090, 5205.24.0020,

5205.24.0090, 5205.26.0020, 5205.26.0090, 5205.27.0020, 5205.27.0090,

5205.28.0020, 5205.28.0090, 5205.41.0020, 5205.41.0090, 5205.42.0020,

5205.42.0090, 5205.43.0020, 5205.43.0090, 5205.44.0020, 5205.44.0090,

5205.46.0020, 5205.46.0090, 5205.47.0020, 5205.47.0090, 5205.48.0020

and 5205.48.0090.

\4\ Category 369-D: only HTS numbers 6302.60.0010, 6302.91.0005 and

6302.91.0045.

\5\ Category 369-S: only HTS number 6307.10.2005.

\6\ Category 604-A: only HTS number 5509.32.0000.

\7\ Category 669-P: only HTS numbers 6305.32.0010, 6305.32.0020,

6305.33.0010, 6305.33.0020 and 6305.39.0000.

\8\ Category 359-H: only HTS numbers 6505.90.1540 and 6505.90.2060.

\9\ Category 359pt.: all HTS numbers except 6505.90.1540, 6505.20.2060

(Category 359-H); and 6406.99.1550.

\10\ Category 459pt.: all HTS numbers except 6405.20.6030, 6405.20.6060,

6405.20.6090, 6406.99.1505 and 6406.99.1560.

\11\ 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.

\12\ Category 659pt.: all HTS numbers except 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.

\13\ 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

directives dated November 4, 1996 and November 3, 1997) to the

extent of any unfilled balances. In the event the limits

[[Page 65248]]

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 Thailand 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.

The conversion factors for merged Categories 359-H/659-H and

638/639 are 11.5 and 12.96, respectively.

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. 97-32411 Filed 12-10-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F