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

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 the Dominican Republic

December 19, 1997.

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

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs establishing

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 (GALs) for

textile products, produced or manufactured in the Dominican Republic

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).

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

Commissioner of Customs to establish the 1998 limits and GALs.

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 notices 51 FR 21208, published on June

11, 1986; 52 FR 6594, published on March 4, 1987; 52 FR 26057,

published on July 10, 1987; 54 FR 50425, published on December 6, 1989;

and 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; 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 the Dominican Republic 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 limits:

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Category Restraint limit

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338/638................................ 868,533 dozen.

339/639................................ 1,033,553 dozen.

340/640................................ 894,107 dozen.

342/642................................ 629,204 dozen.

347/348/647/648........................ 2,140,318 dozen of which not

more than 1,130,732 dozen

shall be in Categories 647/

648.

351/651................................ 1,071,882 dozen.

352/652................................ 2,485,773 dozen.

433.................................... 21,740 dozen.

442.................................... 73,811 dozen.

443.................................... 135,038 numbers.

444.................................... 73,811 numbers.

448.................................... 38,024 dozen.

633.................................... 131,192 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 December 6, 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 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, published on September 19, 1997, effective on January 1,

1998, guaranteed access levels are being established for properly

certified textile products assembled in the Dominican Republic from

fabric formed and cut in the

[[Page 67623]]

United States in cotton, wool and man-made fiber textile products in

the following categories for 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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338/638................................ 1,150,000 dozen.

339/639................................ 1,150,000 dozen.

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

342/642................................ 1,000,000 dozen.

347/348/647/648........................ 8,050,000 dozen.

351/651................................ 1,000,000 dozen.

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

433.................................... 21,000 dozen.

442.................................... 65,000 dozen.

443.................................... 50,000 numbers.

444.................................... 30,000 numbers.

448.................................... 40,000 dozen.

633.................................... 60,000 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 February 25, 1987, as

amended, shall be denied entry unless the Government of the

Dominican Republic authorizes the entry and any charges to the

appropriate specific limits. 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.

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 U.S.C.553(a)(1).

Sincerely,

Troy H. Cribb,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

[FR Doc. 97-33705 Filed 12-24-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F