Announcement of Levels for Certain Cotton, Wool and Man-Made Fiber Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in the United Mexican States

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Announcement of Levels for Certain Cotton, Wool and Man-Made

Fiber Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in the United Mexican

States

December 22, 1997.

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

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs establishing

levels under the North America Free Trade Agreement.

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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.

In order to implement Annex 300-B of the North America Free Trade

Agreement (NAFTA), restrictions and consultation levels for certain

cotton, wool and man-made fiber textile products from Mexico are being

established for the period beginning on January 1, 1998 and extending

through December 31, 1998.

These restrictions and consultation levels do not apply to NAFTA

originating goods, as defined in Annex 300-B, Chapter 4 and Annex 401

of the agreement. In addition, restrictions and consultation levels do

not apply to textile and apparel goods that are assembled in Mexico

from fabrics wholly formed and cut in the United States and exported

from and re-imported into the United States under U.S. tariff item

9802.00.90.

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

Commissioner of Customs to implement levels for the 1998 period.

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 62 FR 66057, published on December 17, 1997).

J. Hayden Boyd,

Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile

Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements

December 22, 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 North America Free Trade

Agreement (NAFTA), between the Governments of the United States, the

United Mexican States and Canada, 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 Mexico and exported during

the twelve-month period beginning on January 1, 1998 and extending

through December 31, 1998, in excess of the following levels:

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Category Twelve-month limit

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219....................................... 9,438,000 square meters.

313....................................... 16,854,000 square meters.

314....................................... 6,966,904 square meters.

315....................................... 6,966,904 square meters.

317....................................... 8,427,000 square meters.

338/339/638/639........................... 650,000 dozen.

340/640................................... 160,200 dozen.

347/348/647/648........................... 650,000 dozen.

410....................................... 397,160 square meters.

433....................................... 11,000 dozen.

443....................................... 175,479 numbers.

611....................................... 1,267,710 square meters.

633....................................... 10,000 dozen.

643....................................... 155,556 numbers.

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The levels set forth above are subject to adjustment pursuant to

the provisions of Annex 300-B of the NAFTA.

Products in the above categories exported during 1997 shall be

charged to the applicable category levels for that year (see

directive dated October 17, 1996) to the extent of any unfilled

balances. In the event the levels established for that period have

been exhausted by previous entries, such products shall be charged

to the levels set forth in this directive.

The foregoing levels do not apply to NAFTA originating goods, as

defined in Annex 300-B, Chapter 4 and Annex 401 of the agreement. In

addition, restrictions and consultation levels do not apply to

textile and apparel goods that are assembled in Mexico from fabrics

wholly formed and cut in the United States and exported from and re-

imported into the United States under U.S. tariff item 9802.00.90.

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,

J. Hayden Boyd,

Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile

Agreements.

[FR Doc. 97-33912 Filed 12-29-97; 8:45 am]

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