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

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

Cambodia

December 10, 1999.

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, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Roy Unger, 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 Bilateral Textile Agreement of January 20, 1999, between the

Governments of the United States and Cambodia establishes limits for

the period January 1, 2000 through December 31, 2000.

These limits may be revised if Cambodia becomes a member of the

World Trade Organization (WTO) and the United States applies the WTO

agreement to Cambodia.

Moreover, these limits may be revised in light of the U.S.

determination as to whether working conditions in the Cambodian textile

and apparel sector substantially comply with Cambodian labor law and

internationally recognized core labor standards (see Federal Register

notice 64 FR 60428, published on November 5, 1999).

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

Commissioner of Customs to establish the 2000 limits.

The special carryforward for Categories 338/339 and 347/348/647/

648 is being deducted from the 2000 limits. Normal carryforward is

being deducted for all categories except Categories 331/631.

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 63 FR 71096, published on December 23, 1998).

Information regarding the 2000 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

December 10, 1999.

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 Bilateral Textile Agreement,

dated January 20, 1999, between the Governments of the United States

and Cambodia, you are directed to prohibit, effective on January 1,

2000, 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 Cambodia and exported during the twelve-month period

beginning on January 1, 2000 and extending through December 31,

2000, in excess of the following levels of restraint:

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Category Twelve-month restraint limit

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331/631................................... 1,643,000 dozen pairs.

334/634................................... 170,000 dozen.

335/635................................... 65,000 dozen.

338/339................................... 2,400,000 dozen.

340/640................................... 750,000 dozen.

345....................................... 94,000 dozen.

347/348/647/648........................... 2,760,000 dozen.

352/652................................... 600,000 dozen.

438....................................... 85,500 dozen.

445/446................................... 104,500 dozen.

638/639................................... 900,000 dozen.

645/646................................... 250,000 dozen.

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The limits set forth above are subject to adjustment pursuant to

the provisions of the current bilateral agreement between the

Governments of the United States and Cambodia.

Products in the above categories exported during 1999 shall be

charged to the applicable category limits for that year (see

directive dated February 1, 1999) 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.

These limits may be revised if Cambodia becomes a member of the

World Trade Organization (WTO) and the United States applies the WTO

agreement to Cambodia.

Moreover, these limits may be revised in light of the U.S.

determination as to whether working conditions in the Cambodian

textile and apparel sector substantially comply with Cambodian labor

law and internationally recognized core labor standards (see Federal

Register notice 64 FR 60428, published on November 5, 1999).

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. 99-32626 Filed 12-15-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F