Announcement of Import Restraint Limits for Certain Cotton, Wool and Man-Made Fiber Textiles and Textile Products and Silk Blend and Other Vegetable Fiber Apparel Produced or Manufactured in Malaysia

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Announcement of Import Restraint Limits for Certain Cotton, Wool

and Man-Made Fiber Textiles and Textile Products and Silk Blend and

Other Vegetable Fiber Apparel Produced or Manufactured in Malaysia

November 3, 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: Ross Arnold, 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 import restraint limits for textile products, produced or

manufactured in Malaysia and exported during the period January 1, 1999

through December 31, 1999 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 1999 limits. The

1999 limit for Categories 347/348 is being decreased for carryforward

applied to the 1998 limit.

Effective on January 1, 1999, a visa will no longer be required for

products integrated in the second stage of the integration of textiles

and clothing into GATT 1994 from WTO member countries (see 63 FR 53881,

published on October 7, 1998). A visa will continue to be required for

non-integrated products. For quota purposes only, products remaining in

categories partially integrated will continue to be designated by the

designator ``pt.''

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.

D. Michael Hutchinson,

Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile

Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements

November 3, 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 Uruguay Round Agreement on

Textiles and Clothing (ATC), you are directed to prohibit, effective

on January 1, 1999, entry into the United States for consumption and

withdrawal from warehouse for consumption of cotton, wool and man-

made fiber textiles and textile products and silk blend and other

vegetable fiber apparel in the following categories, produced or

manufactured in Malaysia and exported during the twelve-month period

beginning on January 1, 1999 and extending through December 31,

1999, in excess of the following limits:

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Category Twelve-month restraint limit

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fabric Group

218-220, 225-227, 313-315, 317, 326, 611-O 134,499,315 square meters

\1\, 613/614/615/617, 619 and 620, as a equivalent.

group.

Sublevels within the group

218....................................... 7,716,910 square meters.

219....................................... 37,384,140 square meters.

220....................................... 37,384,140 square meters.

225....................................... 37,384,140 square meters.

226....................................... 37,384,140 square meters.

227....................................... 37,384,140 square meters.

313....................................... 44,586,589 square meters.

314....................................... 53,641,038 square meters.

315....................................... 37,384,140 square meters.

317....................................... 37,384,140 square meters.

326....................................... 7,229,250 square meters.

611-O..................................... 4,337,550 square meters.

613/614/615/617........................... 42,912,832 square meters.

619....................................... 5,783,401 square meters.

620....................................... 7,229,250 square meters.

Other specific limits

200....................................... 325,418 kilograms.

237....................................... 437,848 dozen.

300/301................................... 3,451,423 kilograms.

331/631................................... 2,369,696 dozen pairs.

333/334/335/835........................... 271,755 dozen of which not

more than 163,053 dozen

shall be in Category 333

and not more than 163,053

dozen shall be in Category

835.

336/636................................... 527,616 dozen.

338/339................................... 1,308,086 dozen.

340/640................................... 1,523,665 dozen.

341/641................................... 1,974,727 dozen of which not

more than 704,485 dozen

shall be in Category 341.

342/642/842............................... 472,990 dozen.

345....................................... 181,376 dozen.

347/348................................... 523,769 dozen.

[[Page 59946]]

350/650................................... 170,579 dozen.

351/651................................... 293,492 dozen.

363....................................... 4,597,802 numbers.

435....................................... 15,664 dozen.

438-W \2\................................. 12,818 dozen.

442....................................... 19,088 dozen.

445/446................................... 30,299 dozen.

604....................................... 1,513,372 kilograms.

634/635................................... 921,663 dozen.

638/639................................... 542,928 dozen.

645/646................................... 415,264 dozen.

647/648................................... 1,954,189 dozen of which not

more than 1,367,930 dozen

shall be in Category 647-K

\3\ and not more than

1,367,930 dozen shall be in

Category 648-K \4\.

Group II

201, 222-224, 239pt. \5\, 332, 352, 359pt. 44,117,960 square meters

\6\, 360-362, 369pt. \7\, 400-431, 433, equivalent.

434, 436, 438-O \8\, 440, 443, 444, 447,

448, 459pt. \9\, 464, 469pt. \10\, 600-

603, 606, 607, 618, 621, 622, 624-629,

633, 643, 644, 649, 652, 659pt. \11\,

666, 669pt. \12\, 670, 831, 833, 834,

836, 838, 840, 843-858 and 859pt. \13\,

as a group.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

\1\Category 611-O: all HTS numbers except 5516.14.0005, 5516.14.0025 and

5516.14.0085

\2\ Category 438-W: only HTS numbers 6104.21.0060, 6104.23.0020,

6104.29.2051, 6106.20.1010, 6106.20.1020, 6106.90.1010, 6106.90.1020,

6106.90.2520, 6106.90.3020, 6109.90.1540, 6109.90.8020, 6110.10.2080,

6110.30.1560, 6110.90.9074 and 6114.10.0040.

\3\ Category 647-K: only HTS numbers 6103.23.0040, 6103.23.0045,

6103.29.1020, 6103.29.1030, 6103.43.1520, 6103.43.1540, 6103.43.1550,

6103.43.1570, 6103.49.1020, 6103.49.1060, 6103.49.8014, 6112.12.0050,

6112.19.1050, 6112.20,.1060 and 6113.00.9044.

\4\ Category 648-K: only HTS numbers 6104.23.0032, 6104.23.0034,

6104.29.1030, 6104.29.1040, 6104.29.2038, 6104.63.2006, 6104.63.2011,

6104.63.2026, 6104.63.2028, 6104.63.2030, 6104.63.2060, 6104.69.2030,

6104.69.2060, 6104.69.8026, 6112.12.0060, 6112.19.1060, 6112.20.1070,

6113.00.9052 and 6117.90.9070.

\5\ Category 239pt.: only HTS number 6209.20.5040 (diapers).

\6\ Category 359pt.: all HTS numbers except 6406.99.1550.

\7\ Category 369pt.: all HTS numbers except 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.

\8\ Category 438-O: only HTS numbers 6103.21.0050, 6103.23.0025,

6105.20.1000, 6105.90.1000, 6105.90.8020, 6109.90.1520, 6110.10.2070,

6110.30.1550, 6110.90.9072, 6114.10.0020 and 6117.90.9025.

\9\ Category 459pt.: all HTS numbers except 6405.20.6030, 6405.20.6060,

6405.20.6090, 6405.99.1505 and 6406.99.1560.

\10\ Category 469pt.: all HTS numbers except 5601.29.0020, 5603.94.1010

and 6406.10.9020.

\11\ Category 659pt.: all HTS numbers except 6406.99.1510 and

6406.99.1540.

\12\ Category 669pt.: all HTS numbers except 5601.10.2000, 5601.22.0090,

5607.49.3000, 5607.50.4000 and 6406.10.9040.

\13\ Category 859pt.: only HTS numbers 6115.19.8040, 6117.10.6020,

6212.10.5030, 6212.10.9040, 6212.20.0030, 6212.30.0030, 6212.90.0090,

6214.10.2000 and 6214.90.0090.

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 1998 shall be

charged to the applicable category limits for that year (see the

December 22, 1997 directive) 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.

Effective on January 1, 1999, a visa will no longer be required

for products integrated in the second stage of the integration of

textiles and clothing into GATT 1994 from WTO member countries (see

directive dated September 30, 1998). A visa will continue to be

required for non-integrated products. For quota purposes only,

products remaining in categories partially integrated will continue

to be designated by the designator ``pt.''

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,

D. Michael Hutchinson,

Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile

Agreements.

[FR Doc. 98-29832 Filed 11-5-98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F