Establishment of an Import Limit for Certain Cotton Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in Pakistan

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Establishment of an Import Limit for Certain Cotton Textile

Products Produced or Manufactured in Pakistan

March 5, 1999.

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

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs establishing

a limit.

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EFFECTIVE DATE: March 17, 1999.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ross Arnold, International Trade

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

Commerce, (202) 482-4212. For information on the quota status of this

limit, 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. For information on

categories on which consultations have been requested, call (202) 482-

3740.

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.

A notice published in the Federal Register on December 31, 1998 (63

FR 72288) announced that the Government of the United States had

requested consultations with the Government of Pakistan on December 24,

1998 with respect to combed cotton yarn in Category 301, produced or

manufactured in Pakistan and that, if no solution was agreed upon in

consultations with the Government of Pakistan, the Government of the

United States reserved its right to establish a twelve-month limit of

not less than 5,262,665 kilograms for the entry for consumption and

withdrawal from warehouse for consumption of combed cotton yarn in

Category 301, produced or manufactured in Pakistan.

As no solution was agreed upon in consultations, the Government of

the United States has decided to limit imports in this category for the

twelve-month period beginning on March 17, 1999 and extending through

March 16, 2000 at a level of 5,262,665 kilograms.

The United States remains committed to finding a mutual solution

concerning Category 301. Should such a solution be reached in

consultations with the Government of Pakistan, further notice will be

published in the Federal Register.

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, 1999).

Troy H. Cribb,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements

March 5, 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); and Executive Order 11651

of March 30, 1972, as amended, you are directed to prohibit,

effective on March 17, 1999, entry into the United States for

consumption and withdrawal from warehouse for consumption of combed

cotton yarn Category 301, produced or manufactured in Pakistan and

exported during the twelve-month period beginning on March 17, 1999

and extending through March 16, 2000 in excess of 5,262,665

kilograms \1\.

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\1\ The limit has not been adjusted to account for imports

exported after March 16, 1999.

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Textile products in Category 301 which have been exported to the

United States prior to March 17, 1999 shall not be subject to the

limit established in this directive.

Textile products in Category 301 which have been released from

the custody of the U.S. Customs Service under the provisions of 19

U.S.C. 1448(b) or 1484(a)(1) prior to the effective date of this

directive shall not be denied entry under this directive.

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 this action falls 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. 99-6098 Filed 3-11-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F