Amendment of Coverage of Unit of Quantity Requirement for Textile and Apparel Products Produced or Manufactured in Various Countries to Include Coverage of Bangladesh, Egypt and Turkey

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Amendment of Coverage of Unit of Quantity Requirement for Textile

and Apparel Products Produced or Manufactured in Various Countries to

Include Coverage of Bangladesh, Egypt and Turkey

February 23, 1999.

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

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs amending

coverage of the requirement that visa quantities be in whole numbers

only.

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EFFECTIVE DATE: April 1, 1999.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Roy Unger, International Trade

Specialist, Office of Textiles and Apparel, U.S. Department of

Commerce, (202) 482-4212.

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.

As stated in a notice and letter to the Commissioner of Customs

dated November 30, 1998, published in the Federal Register on December

4, 1998 (63 FR 67053), the United States Government has notified all

countries with visa arrangements with the United States of the

requirement to issue visas in whole numbers. In that letter, the

Chairman of CITA directed the Commissioner of Customs to require that

the quantity stated on the visa be listed in whole numbers only.

Subsequently, in a notice and letter dated December 21, 1998, published

in the Federal Register on December 29, 1998 (63 FR 71622), this

directive was amended, excluding Bangladesh, Egypt, Peru, Trinidad and

Tobago, and Turkey from this requirement, and directing Customs not to

deny entry to products from these countries solely because the

accompanying visa states the quantity using decimals or fractions.

The Governments of Bangladesh, Egypt and Turkey have agreed to

implement this requirement. Effective on April 1, 1999, products

produced or manufactured in Bangladesh, Egypt and Turkey must be

accompanied by a visa stating the quantity in whole numbers only. The

requirement will apply to products exported on or after April 1, 1999.

There will be a 30-day grace period, beginning on April 1, 1999 and

extending through April 30, 1999, during which Customs shall not deny

entry for products produced or manufactured in Bangladesh, Egypt and

Turkey solely because the accompanying visa does not state the quantity

in whole numbers. Customs will continue to use standard rounding

procedures for such products. Goods exported on or after May 1, 1999

must have visas in whole numbers.

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

Commissioner of Customs to implement the November 30, 1998 directive

for textile products produced or manufactured in Bangladesh, Egypt and

Turkey and exported on or after April 1, 1999.

Troy H. Cribb,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements

February 23, 1999.

Commissioner of Customs,

Department of the Treasury, Washington, DC 20229.

Dear Commissioner: This directive amends, but does not cancel,

the directive issued to you on November 30, 1998, as amended on

December 21, 1998 by the Chairman, Committee for the Implementation

of Textile Agreements. The former directive directs you to require

that shipment quantities of textile and apparel products entered

into the United States be stated on the visa in whole numbers only.

The latter directive excludes, among other countries, Bangladesh,

Egypt and Turkey from this requirement.

The Governments of Bangladesh, Egypt and Turkey agreed to

implement this visa requirement. Effective on April 1, 1999, you are

directed to implement this requirement for textile products produced

or manufactured in Bangladesh, Egypt and Turkey and exported on or

after April 1, 1999. The requirement for the use of whole numbers

will be effective only for goods exported on or after April 1, 1999.

Textile products produced or manufactured in Bangladesh, Egypt

and Turkey and exported during the period April 1, 1999 through

April 30, 1999 shall not denied entry solely because the

accompanying visa states the quantity using decimals or fractions.

However, Customs will continue to charge in whole units using

standard rounding procedures. Goods exported on or after May 1, 1999

must have visas in whole numbers.

The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements has

determined that these actions fall within the foreign affairs

exception to 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. 99-5064 Filed 3-1-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F