Announcement of Import Restraint Limits and Guaranteed Access Levels for Certain Cotton and Man-Made Fiber Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in El Salvador

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Announcement of Import Restraint Limits and Guaranteed Access

Levels for Certain Cotton and Man-Made Fiber Textile Products Produced

or Manufactured in El Salvador

December 14, 1998.

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

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs establishing

import 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 for

textile products, produced or manufactured in El Salvador and exported

during the periods January 1, 1999 through March 28, 1999 (Categories

342/642) and January 1, 1999 through December 31, 1999 (Categories 340/

640) are based on limits notified to the Textiles Monitoring Body

pursuant to the Uruguay Round Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC)

and Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) dated September 26, 1994 and July

18, 1996 between the Governments of the United States and El Salvador.

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

Commissioner of Customs to establish limits and guaranteed access

levels for 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.

Troy H. Cribb,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements

December 14, 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 Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) dated

September 26, 1996 and July 18, 1996 between the Governments of the

United States and El Salvador, 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

and man-made fiber textile products in the following categories,

produced or manufactured in El Salvador and exported during the

periods January 1, 1999 through March 28, 1999 (Categories 342/642)

and January 1, 1999 through December 31, 1999 (Categories 340/640),

in excess of the following restraint limits:

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Category Restraint limit

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340/640................................... 1,229,436 dozen.

342/642................................... 90,388 dozen.

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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 1997 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 Memoranda of Understanding dated

September 26, 1994

[[Page 70109]]

and July 18, 1996 between the Governments of the United States and

El Salvador; and under the terms of the Special Access Program, as

set forth in 63 FR 16474 (April 3, 1998), effective on January 1,

1999, guaranteed access levels are being established for properly

certified textile products assembled in El Salvador from fabric

formed and cut in the United States in the following categories

which are re-exported to the United States from El Salvador during

the periods January 1, 1999 through March 28, 1999 (Categories 342/

642) and January 1, 1999 through December 31, 1999 (Categories 340/

640):

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Category Guaranteed Access Level

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340/640................................... 1,000,000 dozen.

342/642................................... 95,342 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 January 6, 1995, as amended, shall be denied entry

unless the Government of El Salvador authorizes the entry and any

charges to the appropriate specific limit. 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.

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. 98-33500 Filed 12-17-98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F