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 the Philippines

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 the

Philippines

November 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: Janet Heinzen, 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 the Philippines 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) and a Memorandum of Understanding dated

August 19, 1998 between the Governments of the United States and the

Republic of the Philippines.

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.''

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

Commissioner of Customs to establish the 1999 limits.

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

November 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; the Uruguay Round Agreement on Textiles

and Clothing (ATC) and a Memorandum of

[[Page 67051]]

Understanding dated August 19, 1998, between the Governments of the

United States and the Republic of the Philippines, 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 the Philippines 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:

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

Category Twelve-month restraint limit

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

Levels in Group I

237....................................... 1,933,471 dozen.

331/631................................... 6,261,190 dozen pairs.

333/334................................... 302,881 dozen of which not

more than 43,482 dozen

shall be in Category 333.

335....................................... 197,145 dozen.

336....................................... 717,428 dozen.

338/339................................... 2,333,411 dozen.

340/640................................... 1,036,170 dozen.

341/641................................... 935,013 dozen.

342/642................................... 620,539 dozen.

345....................................... 184,795 dozen.

347/348................................... 2,174,025 dozen.

350....................................... 163,592 dozen.

351/651................................... 676,821 dozen.

352/652................................... 2,658,051 dozen.

359-C/659-C \1\........................... 919,562 kilograms.

361....................................... 2,066,437 numbers.

369-S \2\................................. 468,409 kilograms.

431....................................... 173,058 dozen pairs.

433....................................... 3,408 dozen.

443....................................... 41,205 numbers.

445/446................................... 28,144 dozen.

447....................................... 7,825 dozen.

611....................................... 6,201,542 square meters.

633....................................... 39,984 dozen.

634....................................... 496,097 dozen.

635....................................... 357,334 dozen

636....................................... 1,869,660 dozen.

638/639................................... 2,397,048 dozen.

643....................................... 955,056 numbers.

645/646................................... 809,378 dozen.

647/648................................... 1,311,785 dozen.

649....................................... 8,168,184 dozen.

650....................................... 117,088 dozen.

659-H \3\................................. 1,540,576 kilograms.

847....................................... 1,021,835 dozen.

Group II

200-227, 300-326, 332, 359-O \4\, 360, 193,226,490 square meters

362, 363, 369-O \5\, 400-414, 434-438, equivalent.

440, 442, 444, 448, 459pt. \6\, 464,

469pt. \7\, 600-607, 613-629, 644, 659-O

\8\, 666, 669-O \9\, 670-O \10\, 831, 833-

838, 840-846, 850-858 and 859pt. \11\, as

a group.

Sublevel in Group II

604....................................... 2,190,816 kilograms.

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

\1\ Category 359-C: only HTS numbers 6103.42.2025, 6103.49.8034,

6104.62.1020, 6104.69.8010, 6114.20.0048, 6114.20.0052, 6203.42.2010,

6203.42.2090, 6204.62.2010, 6211.32.0010, 6211.32.0025 and

6211.42.0010; Category 659-C: only HTS numbers 6103.23.0055,

6103.43.2020, 6103.43.2025, 6103.49.2000, 6103.49.8038, 6104.63.1020,

6104.63.1030, 6104.69.1000, 6104.69.8014, 6114.30.3044, 6114.30.3054,

6203.43.2010, 6203.43.2090, 6203.49.1010, 6203.49.1090, 6204.63.1510,

6204.69.1010, 6210.10.9010, 6211.33.0010, 6211.33.0017 and

6211.43.0010.

\2\ Category 369-S: only HTS number 6307.10.2005.

\3\ Category 659-H: only HTS numbers 6502.00.9030, 6504.00.9015,

6504.00.9060, 6505.90.5090, 6505.90.6090, 6505.90.7090 and

6505.90.8090.

\4\ Category 359-O: all HTS numbers except 6103.42.2025, 6103.49.8034,

6104.62.1020, 6104.69.8010, 6114.20.0048, 6114.20.0052, 6203.42.2010,

6203.42.2090, 6204.62.2010, 6211.32.0010, 6211.32.0025, 6211.42.0010

(Category 359-C); and 6406.99.1550 (359pt.).

\5\ Category 369-O: all HTS numbers except 6307.10.2005 (Category 369-

S); 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 (Category

369pt.).

\6\ Category 459pt.: all HTS numbers except 6405.20.6030, 6405.20.6060,

6405.20.6090, 6406.99.1505 and 6406.99.1560.

\7\ Category 469pt.: all HTS numbers except 5601.29.0020, 5603.94.1010

and 6406.10.9020.

\8\ Category 659-O: all HTS numbers except 6103.23.0055, 6103.43.2020,

6103.43.2025, 6103.49.2000, 6103.49.8038, 6104.63.1020, 6104.63.1030,

6104.69.1000, 6104.69.8014, 6114.30.3044, 6114.30.3054, 6203.43.2010,

6203.43.2090, 6203.49.1010, 6203.49.1090, 6204.63.1510, 6204.69.1010,

6210.10.9010, 6211.33.0010, 6211.33.0017, 6211.43.0010 (Category 659-

C); 6502.00.9030, 6504.00.9015, 6504.00.9060, 6505.90.5090,

6505.90.6090, 6505.90.7090, 6505.90.8090 (Category 659-H);

6406.99.1510 and 6406.99.1540 (Category 659pt.).

\9\ Category 669-O: all HTS numbers except 6305.32.0010, 6305.32.0020,

6305.33.0010, 6305.33.0020, 6305.39.0000 (Category 669-P);

5601.10.2000, 5601.22.0090, 5607.49.3000, 5607.50.4000 and

6406.10.9040 (Category 669pt.).

\10\ Category 670-O: all HTS numbers except 4202.12.8030, 4202.12.8070,

4202.92.3020, 4202.92.3031, 4202.92.9026 and 6307.90.9907 (Category

670-L).

\11\ 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, administrative arrangements notified to

the Textiles Monitoring Body and a Memorandum of Understanding dated

August 19, 1998 between the Governments of the United States and the

Republic of the Philippines.

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.

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,

Troy H. Cribb,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

[FR Doc. 98-32353 Filed 12-3-98; 8:45 am]

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