Adjustment of Import Limits and Increase of a Guaranteed Access Level for Certain Cotton, Wool and Man-Made Fiber Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in the Dominican Republic

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Adjustment of Import Limits and Increase of a Guaranteed Access

Level for Certain Cotton, Wool and Man-Made Fiber Textile Products

Produced or Manufactured in the Dominican Republic

November 19, 1998.

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

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs adjusting

limits and increasing a guaranteed access level.

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EFFECTIVE DATE: November 19, 1998.

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 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.

The current limit for Categories 339/639 is being increased for

special shift, reducing the limit for Categories 338/638 to account for

the special shift being applied.

Upon the request of the Government of the Dominican Republic, the

U.S. Government has agreed to increase the current guaranteed access

level for textile products in Category 444.

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

62 FR 67622, published on December 29, 1997.

Troy H. Cribb,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements

November 19, 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 19, 1997, by the Chairman,

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements. That

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

fiber textile products, produced or manufactured in the Dominican

Republic and exported during the twelve-month period which began on

January 1, 1998 and extends through December 31, 1998.

Effective on November 19, 1998, you are directed to adjust the

current limits for the following categories, as provided for under

the Uruguay Round Agreement on Textiles and Clothing:

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Adjusted twelve-month limit

Category \1\

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338/638................................... 950,766 dozen.

339/639................................... 1,195,452 dozen.

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\1\ The limits have not been adjusted to account for any imports

exported after December 31, 1997.

Also effective on November 19, 1998, you are directed to

increase the guaranteed access level (GAL) for Category 444 to

40,000 numbers. The GALs for Categories 338/638 and 339/639 remain

unchanged.

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,

Troy H. Cribb,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

[FR Doc. 98-31404 Filed 11-23-98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F