Announcement of Import Limits for Certain Wool Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Announcement of Import Limits for Certain Wool Textile Products

Produced or Manufactured in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

September 30, 1998.

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, 1999.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Naomi Freeman, 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, call (202) 927-5850, or refer to the U.S. Customs

website at http://www.customs.ustreas.gov. 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 Bilateral Textile Agreement of November 7, 1997 between the

Governments of the United States and the Former Yugoslav Republic of

Macedonia establishes limits for certain wool textile products,

produced or manufactured in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

and exported during the period January 1, 1999 through December 31,

1999.

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

Commissioner of Customs to establish the 1999 limits. The limit for

Category 443 has been reduced for carryforward applied in 1998.

These limits may be revised if the Former Yugoslav Republic of

Macedonia becomes a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and

the United States applies the WTO agreement to the Former Yugoslav

Republic of Macedonia.

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).

Information regarding the 1999 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

September 30, 1998.

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 Bilateral Textile Agreement of

November 7, 1997 between the Governments of the United States and

the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, you are directed to

prohibit, effective on January 1, 1999, entry into the United States

for consumption and withdrawal from warehouse for consumption of

wool textile products in the following categories, produced or

manufactured in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and

exported during the period beginning on January 1, 1999 and

extending through December 31, 1999, in excess of the following

levels of restraint:

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Category Twelve-month limit

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433....................................... 20,808 dozen.

434....................................... 10,404 dozen.

435....................................... 27,857 dozen.

443....................................... 161,568 numbers.

448....................................... 62,424 dozen.

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The limits set forth above are subject to adjustment pursuant to

the current bilateral agreement between the Governments of the

United States and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Products in the above categories exported during 1998 shall be

charged to the applicable category limits for that year (see

directive dated December 1, 1997) 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.

These limits may be revised if the Former Yugoslav Republic of

Macedonia becomes a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and

the United States applies the WTO agreement to the Former Yugoslav

Republic of Macedonia.

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 to the rulemaking provisions of 5 U.S.C.553(a)(1).

[[Page 53880]]

Sincerely,

Troy H. Cribb,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

[FR Doc. 98-26803 Filed 10-6-98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F