Announcement of Import Limits and Guaranteed Access Levels for Certain Cotton, Wool and Man-Made Fiber Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in Costa Rica

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Announcement of Import Limits and Guaranteed Access Levels for

Certain Cotton, Wool and Man-Made Fiber Textile Products Produced or

Manufactured in Costa Rica

December 14, 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.

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

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 Costa Rica 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 1999. The limit for Category 443 has been reduced for

carryforward applied in 1998.

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 61 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; 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, produced or

manufactured in Costa Rica and exported during the twelve-month

period beginning on January 1, 1999 and extending through December

31, 1999, in excess of the following restraint limits:

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

Category Twelve-month limit

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

340/640................................ 1,146,696 dozen.

342/642................................ 423,310 dozen.

347/348................................ 1,932,437 dozen.

443.................................... 205,635 numbers.

447.................................... 11,783 dozen.

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

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 and man-made fiber textile products in the

following categories which are assembled in Costa Rica from fabric

formed and cut in the United States and re-exported to the United

States from Costa Rica during the period beginning on January 1,

1999 and extending through December 31, 1999:

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

Category Guaranteed access level

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

340/640................................ 650,000 dozen.

342/642................................ 250,000 dozen.

347/348................................ 1,500,000 dozen.

443.................................... 200,000 numbers.

447.................................... 4,000 dozen.

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

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 May 15, 1990, as amended, shall be denied entry

unless the Government of Costa Rica 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.

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,

Troy H. Cribb,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

[FR Doc.98-33502 Filed 12-17-98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F