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

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Announcement of Import Restraint Limits and Guaranteed Access

Levels for Certain Cotton and Man-Made Fiber Textile Products Produced

or Manufactured in El Salvador

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 El Salvador and exported

during the periods January 1, 1998 through March 26, 1998 (Categories

352/652) 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 Memoranda of

Understanding (MOUs) dated September 26, 1994, July 6, 1995 and July

18, 1996 between the Governments of the United States and El Salvador.

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; 60 FR 2740, published on January 11, 1995, 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 Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) dated

September 26, 1996, July 6, 1995 and July 18, 1996 between the

Governments of the United States and El Salvador, 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 and man-made fiber textile products in the following

categories, produced or manufactured in El Salvador and exported

during the periods beginning on January 1, 1998 and extending

through March 26, 1998 (Categories 352/652) and on January 1, 1998

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

restraint limits:

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Category Restraint limit

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340/640................................... 1,122,516 dozen.

342/642................................... 357,750 dozen.

352/652................................... 1,727,945 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 19, 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 Memoranda of Understanding dated

September 26, 1994, July 6, 1995 and July 18, 1996 between the

Governments of the United States and El Salvador; 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 El Salvador from fabric

formed and cut in the United States in the following categories

which are re-exported to the United States from El Salvador during

the periods January 1, 1998 through March 26, 1998 (Categories 352/

652) and January 1, 1998 through December 31, 1998:

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Category Guaranteed Access Level

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340/640................................... 1,000,000 dozen.

342/642................................... 400,000 dozen.

352/652................................... 6,986,301 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

[[Page 67624]]

established in the directive of January 6, 1995, shall be denied

entry unless the Government of El Salvador 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. 97-33703 Filed 12-24-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F