Amendment of Quota, Visa and ELVIS (Electronic Visa Information System) Requirements for Certain Cotton and Man-Made Fiber Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in Thailand

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Amendment of Quota, Visa and ELVIS (Electronic Visa Information

System) Requirements for Certain Cotton and Man-Made Fiber Textile

Products Produced or Manufactured in Thailand

May 1, 1998.

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

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs amending

quota, visa and ELVIS requirements.

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EFFECTIVE DATE: May 7, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ross Arnold, International Trade

Specialist, Office of Textiles and Apparel, U.S. Department of

Commerce, (202) 482-4212.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Authority: Section 204 of the Agricultural Act of 1956, as

amended (7 U.S.C. 1854); Executive Order 11651 of March 3, 1862, as

amended.

In exchange of notes dated December 8, 1997, January 20, 1998,

February 6, 1998 and April 8, 1998, the Governments of the United

States and Thailand agreed that discharge printed fabric classified in

Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) numbers 5208.52.3035, 5208.52.4035,

5209.51.6032 (Category 313), 5209.51.6015 (Category 314), 5208.52.4055

(Category 315), 5208.59.2085 (Category 317), 5208.59.2015,

5209.59.0015, 5211.59.0015 (Category 326), 5516.14.0005, 5516.14.0025

and 5516.14.0085 (Category 611) which is produced or manufactured in

Thailand and imported on or after May 7, 1998 will no longer be subject

to visa and ELVIS (Electronic Visa Information System) requirements and

will not be subject to 1998 limits. The new designations for Categories

313, 314, 315, 317, 326, 317/326 and 611 will be part-category 313-O,

314-O, 315-O, 317-O, 326-O, 317-O/326-O and 611-O, respectively. The

1998 quota levels established for Categories 313, 314, 315, 317/326 and

611 remain the same for the newly established part-categories.

Also effective on May 7, 1998, products in Categories 313, 314,

315, 317, 326 and 611, produced or manufactured in Thailand and

exported from Thailand on or after April 8, 1998 must be accompanied by

a 313-O, 314-O, 315-O, 317-O, 326-O and 611-O part-category visa and

ELVIS transmission. Products currently visaed as 317/326 which are

exported from Thailand on or after April 8, 1998 must be accompanied by

either a 317-O/326-O merged part-category visa 317/326 and ELVIS

transmission, or the correct part-category visa and ELVIS transmission

(317-O or 326-O) corresponding to the actual shipment. There will be a

grace period from April 8, 1998 through June 7, 1998 during which

products exported from Thailand in Categories 313, 314, 315, 317/326

and 611 may be accompanied by the whole or new part-category visa and

ELVIS transmission. During the grace period, products visaed in merged

Categories 317-O/326-O may be accompanied by a 317-O/326-O merged part-

category visa and ELVIS transmission, a 317/326 merged whole category

visa or the correct whole or part-category visa and ELVIS transmission

(317, 326, 317-O or 326-O).

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

Commissioner of Customs to amend the export quota, visa and ELVIS

requirements.

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). Also see

42 FR 5994, published in February 1, 1977; 57 FR 2713, published on

January 23, 1992; and 62 FR 60829, published on November 13, 1997.

Troy H. Cribb,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements

May 1, 1998.

Commissioner of Customs,

Department of the Treasury, Washington, DC 20229.

Dear Commissioner: This directive amends, but does not cancel,

the directive issued to you on December 5, 1997, by the Chairman,

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements. That

directive concerns imports of certain cotton, wool, man-made fiber,

silk blend and other vegetable fiber textiles and textile products,

produced or manufactured in Thailand and exported during the twelve-

month period which begins on January 1, 1998 and extends through

December 31, 1998.

Effective on May 7, 1998, discharge printed fabric classified in

Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) numbers 5208.52.3035, 5208.52.4035,

5209.51.6032 (Category 313), 5209.51.6015 (Category 314),

5208.52.4055 (Category 315), 5208.59.2085 (Category 317),

5208.59.2015, 5209.59.0015, 5211.59.0015 (Category 326),

5516.14.0005, 5516.14.0025 and 5516.14.0085 (Category 611) which is

produced or manufactured in Thailand and imported on or after May 7,

1998 will no longer be subject to visa and ELVIS (Electronic Visa

Information System) requirements and will not be subject to 1998

limits, regardless of the date of export, pursuant to exchange of

notes dated December 8, 1997, January 20, 1998, February 6, 1998 and

April 8, 1998. The new designations for Categories 313, 314, 315,

317, 326, 317/326 and 611 will be part-Categories 313-O \1\, 314-O

\2\, 315-O \3\, 317-O \4\, 326-O \5\, 317-O/326-O and 611-O \6\,

respectively.

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\1\ Category 313-O: all HTS numbers except 5208.52.3035,

5208.52.4035 and 5209.51.6032.

\2\ Category 314-O: all HTS numbers except 5209.51.6015.

\3\ Category 315-O: all HTS numbers except 5208.52.4055.

\4\ Category 317-O: all HTS numbers except 5208.59.2085.

\5\ Category 326-O: all HTS numbers except 5208.59.2015,

5209.59.0015 and 5211.59.0015.

\6\ Category 611-O: all HTS numbers except 5516.14.0005,

5516.14.0025 and 5516.14.0085.

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The 1998 quota levels established for Categories 313, 314, 315,

317/326 and 611 remain the same for the newly established part-

Categories 313-O, 314-O, 315-O, 317-O/326-O and 611-O.

Also effective on May 7, 1998, you are directed to amend further

the directive dated January 16, 1992 to require a part-category visa

and ELVIS transmission for Categories 313-O, 314-O, 315-O, 317-O,

326-O and 611-O, produced or manufactured in Thailand and exported

on or after April 8, 1998. Products currently visaed as merged

Categories 317/326 which are exported from Thailand on or after

April 8, 1998 must be accompanied by either a 317-O/326-O merged

part-category visa and ELVIS transmission or the correct part-

category visa and ELVIS transmission (317-O or 326-O) corresponding

to the actual shipment. There will be a grace period from April 8,

1998 through June 7, 1998 during which products exported from

Thailand in Categories 313, 314, 315, 317/326 and 611 may be

accompanied by the whole or new part-category visa and ELVIS

transmission. During the grace period, products visaed in merged

Categories 317-O/326-O may be accompanied by a 317-O/326-O merged

part-category visa and ELVIS transmission, a 317/326 merged whole

category visa and ELVIS transmission, or the correct whole or part-

category visa and ELVIS transmission (317, 326, 317-O or 326-O).

Shipments entered or withdrawn from warehouse according to this

directive which are not accompanied by an appropriate export visa

and ELVIS transmission shall be denied entry and a new visa and

ELVIS transmission must be obtained.

The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements has

determined that these actions fall within the foreign affairs

exception to 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. 98-12084 Filed 5-6-98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F