Announcement of Import Restraint Limits for Certain Cotton, Wool and Man-Made Fiber Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in the Federative Republic of Brazil

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Announcement of Import Restraint Limits for Certain Cotton, Wool

and Man-Made Fiber Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in the

Federative Republic of Brazil

December 19, 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 Brazil 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 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 60 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 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; 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 textile products in the following categories, produced or

manufactured in Brazil 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:

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Category Twelve-month restraint limit

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Aggregate Limit

200-227, 237, 239pt. \1\, 300-326, 331- 500,650,808 square meters

348, 350-352, 359pt. \2\, 360-363, 369-D equivalent.

\3\, 369pt. \4\, 400-431, 433-438, 440-

448, 459pt. \5\, 464, 469pt. \6\, 600-

629, 631, 633-652, 659pt. \7\, 666, 669-P

\8\, 669pt. \9\ and 670, as a group.

Sublevels within the aggregate

218....................................... 6,221,165 square meters.

219....................................... 22,712,779 square meters.

225....................................... 10,887,040 square meters.

300/301................................... 8,437,331 kilograms.

313....................................... 52,246,740 square meters.

314....................................... 8,554,104 square meters.

315....................................... 25,662,311 square meters.

317/326................................... 23,329,372 square meters.

334/335................................... 167,409 dozen.

336....................................... 93,006 dozen.

338/339/638/639........................... 1,674,103 dozen.

342/642................................... 492,929 dozen.

347/348................................... 1,209,074 dozen.

350....................................... 187,577 dozen.

361....................................... 1,264,877 numbers.

363....................................... 26,995,523 numbers.

369-D..................................... 602,939 kilograms.

410/624................................... 12,442,332 square meters of

which not more than

2,696,502 square meters

shall be in Category 410.

433....................................... 18,719 dozen.

445/446................................... 73,328 dozen.

604....................................... 590,613 kilograms of which

not more than 451,398

kilograms shall be in

Category 604-A \10\.

607....................................... 5,484,267 kilograms.

647/648................................... 558,035 dozen.

669-P..................................... 2,009,800 kilograms.

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

\2\ Category 359pt.: all HTS numbers except 6406.99.1550.

\3\ Category 369-D: only HTS numbers 6302.60.0010, 6302.91.0005 and

6302.91.0045.

[[Page 67622]]

\4\ Category 369pt.: all HTS numbers except 6302.60.0010, 6302.91.0005,

6302.91.0045 (Category 369-D); 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.

\5\ Category 459pt.: all HTS numbers except 6405.20.6030, 6405.20.6060,

6405.20.6090, 6406.99.1505 and 6406.99.1560.

\6\ Category 469pt.: all HTS numbers except 5601.29.0020, 5603.94.1010

and 6406.10.9020.

\7\ Category 659pt.: all HTS numbers except 6406.99.1510 and

6406.99.1540.

\8\ Category 669-P: only HTS numbers 6305.32.0010, 6305.32.0020,

6305.33.0010, 6305.33.0020 and 6305.39.0000.

\9\ Category 669pt.: 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.

\10\ Category 604-A: only HTS number 5509.32.0000.

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 18, 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 Brazil 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. 97-33704 Filed 12-24-97; 8:45 am]

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