Announcement of Import Restraint Limits and Guaranteed Access Levels for Certain Cotton, Wool, Man-Made Fiber and Other Vegetable Fiber Textiles and Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in Jamaica

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Announcement of Import Restraint Limits and Guaranteed Access

Levels for Certain Cotton, Wool, Man-Made Fiber and Other Vegetable

Fiber Textiles and Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in Jamaica

November 3, 1998.

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, 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 import restraint limits and Guaranteed Access Levels (GALs) for

textile products, produced or manufactured in Jamaica 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 limits and guaranteed access

levels for the period January 1, 1999 through December 31, 1999.

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.

Requirements for participation in the Special Access Program are

available in Federal Register notice 63 FR 16474, published on April 3,

1998.

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, man-made

fiber and other vegetable fiber textiles and textile products in the

following categories, produced or manufactured in Jamaica and

exported during the twelve-month 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 restraint limit

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331/631................................ 745,113 dozen pairs.

338/339/638/639........................ 1,469,168 dozen.

340/640................................ 687,021 dozen of which not more

than 581,326 dozen shall be in

shirts made from fabrics with

two or more colors in the warp

and/or the filling in

Categories 340-Y/640-Y \1\.

341/641................................ 862,688 dozen.

345/845................................ 212,872 dozen.

347/348/647/648........................ 1,585,783 dozen.

352/652................................ 2,369,458 dozen.

445/446................................ 53,978 dozen.

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\1\ Category 340-Y: only HTS numbers 6205.20.2015, 6205.20.2020,

6205.20.2046, 6205.20.2050 and 6205.20.2060; Category 640-Y: only HTS

numbers 6205.30.2010, 6205.30.2020, 6205.30.2050 and 6205.30.2060.

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

directive dated November 24, 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.

Also pursuant to the ATC; and under the terms of the Special

Access Program, as set forth in 63 FR 16474 (April 3, 1998), you are

directed to establish guaranteed access levels for properly

certified cotton, wool, man-made fiber and other vegetable fiber

textile products in the following categories which are assembled in

Jamaica from fabric formed and cut in the United States and re-

exported to the United States from Jamaica during the twelve-month

period which begins on January 1, 1999 and extends through December

31, 1999:

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Category Guaranteed Access Level

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331/631................................ 1,320,000 dozen pairs.

336/636................................ 125,000 dozen.

338/339/638/639........................ 1,500,000 dozen.

340/640................................ 300,000 dozen.

341/641................................ 375,000 dozen.

342/642................................ 200,000 dozen.

345/845................................ 50,000 dozen.

347/348/647/648........................ 2,000,000 dozen.

352/652................................ 10,500,000 dozen.

447.................................... 30,000 dozen.

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Any shipment for entry under the Special Access Program which is

not accompanied by a valid and correct certification in accordance

with the provisions of the certification requirements established in

the directive of February 19, 1987 shall be denied entry unless the

Government of Jamaica 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,

D. Michael Hutchinson,

Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile

Agreements.

[FR Doc. 98-29977 Filed 11-6-98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F