Announcement of Import Restraint Limits and Guaranteed Access Levels for Certain Cotton, Wool and Man-Made Fiber Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in Guatemala

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Announcement of Import Restraint Limits and Guaranteed Access

Levels for Certain Cotton, Wool and Man-Made Fiber Textile Products

Produced or Manufactured in Guatemala

December 19, 1997.

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

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs establishing

import limits and guaranteed access levels.

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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 and guaranteed access levels for

textile products, produced or manufactured in Guatemala and exported

during the periods January 1, 1998 through May 30, 1998 and 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 19, 1995 between the Governments of the United States and

Guatemala.

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

Commissioner of Customs to establish limits and guaranteed access

levels for 1998.

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).

Information regarding the 1998 CORRELATION will be published in the

Federal Register at a later date.

Requirements for participation in the Special Access Program are

available in Federal Register notice 51 FR 21208, published on June 11,

1986; 52 FR 26057, published on July 10, 1987; 54 FR 50425, published

on December 6, 1989; 55 FR 3079, published on January 30, 1990, 62 FR

49206, published on September 19, 1997.

Troy H. Cribb,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements

December 19, 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 (MOU) dated

October 19, 1995, 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

textile products in the following categories, produced or

manufactured in Guatemala and exported during the periods January 1,

1998 through May 30, 1998 (Categories 342/642) and beginning on

January 1, 1998 through December 31, 1998, in excess of the

following restraint limits:

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Category Restraint limit

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340/640................................... 1,367,434 dozen.

342/642................................... 188,442 dozen.

347/348................................... 1,637,344 dozen.

351/651................................... 288,453 dozen.

443....................................... 71,175 numbers.

448....................................... 44,595 dozen.

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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 4, 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.

Also pursuant to the ATC and the MOU dated October 19, 1995

between the Governments of the United States and Guatemala; and

under the terms of the Special Access Program, as set forth in 51 FR

21208 (June 11, 1986), 52 FR 26057 (July 10, 1987), 54 FR 50425

(December 6, 1989) and 62 FR 49206 (September 19, 1997), effective

on January 1, 1998, guaranteed access levels are being established

for properly certified textile products assembled in Guatemala from

fabric formed and cut in the United States in the following

categories which are re-exported to the United States from Guatemala

during the periods January 1, 1998 through May 30, 1998 (Categories

342/642) and January 1, 1998 through December 31, 1998:

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Category Guaranteed Access Level

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340/640................................... 520,000 dozen.

342/642................................... 41,096 dozen.

347/348................................... 1,000,000 dozen.

351/651................................... 200,000 dozen.

443....................................... 25,000 numbers.

448....................................... 42,000 dozen.

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Any shipment for entry under the Special Access Program which is

not accompanied by a valid and correct certification and Export

Declaration in accordance with the provisions of the certification

requirements established in the directive of January 24, 1990, as

amended, shall be denied entry unless the Government of Guatemala

authorizes the entry and any charges to the appropriate specific

limit. Any shipment which is declared for entry under the Special

Access Program but found not to qualify shall be denied entry into

the United States.

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. 97-33702 Filed 12-24-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F