Announcement of Import Restraint Limits for Certain Cotton, Wool and Man-Made Fiber Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in Singapore

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Announcement of Import Restraint Limits for Certain Cotton, Wool

and Man-Made Fiber Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in

Singapore

December 8, 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 Singapore 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).

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.

D. Michael Hutchinson,

Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile

Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements

December 8, 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 textile products in the following categories,

[[Page 69057]]

produced or manufactured in Singapore 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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222....................................... 547,607 kilograms.

237....................................... 296,473 dozen.

239pt. \1\................................ 194,227 kilograms.

331....................................... 526,564 dozen pairs.

334....................................... 78,176 dozen.

335....................................... 235,157 dozen.

338/339................................... 1,486,795 dozen of which not

more than 868,897 dozen

shall be in Category 338

and not more than 966,105

dozen shall be in Category

339.

340....................................... 1,040,536 dozen.

341....................................... 261,644 dozen.

342....................................... 161,010 dozen.

347/348................................... 1,100,486 dozen of which not

more than 687,803 dozen

shall be in Category 347

and not more than 534,959

dozen shall be in Category

348.

435....................................... 7,012 dozen.

604....................................... 984,478 kilograms.

631....................................... 603,793 dozen pairs.

634....................................... 298,465 dozen.

635....................................... 305,431 dozen

638....................................... 1,096,213 dozen.

639....................................... 3,657,363 dozen.

640....................................... 221,833 dozen.

641....................................... 361,833 dozen.

642....................................... 360,087 dozen.

645/646................................... 168,131 dozen.

647....................................... 665,347 dozen.

648....................................... 1,574,480 dozen.

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\1\ Category 239pt.: only HTS number 6209.20.5040 (diapers).

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 December 19, 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,

D. Michael Hutchinson,

Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile

Agreements.

[FR Doc. 98-33126 Filed 12-14-98; 8:45 am]

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