Announcement of Import Restraint Limits for Certain Wool Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in Ukraine and Reinstating Textile Visa Requirements

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Announcement of Import Restraint Limits for Certain Wool Textile

Products Produced or Manufactured in Ukraine and Reinstating Textile

Visa Requirements

February 17, 2005.

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

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner, Bureau of Customs and

Border Protection establishing limits and reinstating textile visa

requirements.

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EFFECTIVE DATE: January 1, 2005.

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 Bureau of Customs and Border Protection website

(http://www.cbp.gov), or call (202) 344-2650. For information on

embargoes and quota re-openings, refer to the Office of Textiles and

Apparel website at http://otexa.ita.doc.gov.

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 July 22, 1998, as amended and

extended by exchange of notes on November 19, 2004, December 31, 2004,

and February 7, 2005, between the Governments of the United States and

Ukraine establishes limits for certain wool textile products, produced

or manufactured in Ukraine and exported during the period beginning on

January 1, 2005 and extending through December 31, 2005. Goods exported

from Ukraine will also no longer be subject to the notice and letter

concerning overshipments of 2004 limits (see 69 FR 72181, published on

December 13, 2004).

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

Commissioner, Bureau of Customs and Border Protection to establish the

2005 limits. The letter also directs the Commissioner to reinstate

textile visa requirements for Ukraine; those requirements were

suspended in a notice and letter to the Commissioner dated December 30,

2004 (see 70 FR 793, published on January 5, 2005). These requirements

are set forth in the notice and letter to the Commissioner of Customs

dated February 22, 1999 (see 64 FR 9477). In order to provide a period

for adjustment, the United States will allow shipments of goods that

are not accompanied by an export visa to enter the United States if

exported prior to March 25, 2005. However, shipments exported from

Ukraine on or after March 25, 2005, must be accompanied by an export

visa issued by the Government of Ukraine, and shipments without an

export visa will be denied entry.

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

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

agreement to Ukraine.

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 69 FR 4926, published on February 2, 2004). Information

regarding the availability of the 2005 CORRELATION will be published in

the Federal Register at a later date.

James C. Leonard III,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements

February 17, 2005.

Commissioner,

Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, 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 of

July 22, 1998, as amended and extended by exchange of notes on

November 19, 2004, December 31, 2004, and February 7, 2005, between

the Governments of the United States and Ukraine, you are directed

to prohibit, effective on January 1, 2005, entry into the United

States for consumption and withdrawal from warehouse for consumption

of wool textile products in the following categories, produced or

manufactured in Ukraine and exported during the twelve-month period

beginning on January 1, 2005 and extending through December 31,

2005, in excess of the following levels of restraint:

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Category Twelve-month limit

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435....................................... 108,000 dozen.

442....................................... 17,230 dozen.

444....................................... 74,665 numbers.

448....................................... 74,665 dozen.

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The limits set forth above are subject to adjustment pursuant to

the current bilateral agreement between the Governments of the

United States and Ukraine.

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

World Trade

[[Page 8784]]

Organization (WTO) and the United States applies the WTO agreement

to Ukraine.

Products in the above categories exported during 2004 shall be

charged to the applicable category limits for that year (see

directive dated December 10, 2003) 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. Goods exported from

Ukraine will also no longer be subject to the directive dated

December 9, 2004 concerning overshipments of 2004 limits.

You are also directed to reinstate textile visa requirements for

Ukraine, as set forth in the directive dated February 22, 1999, thus

canceling the directive dated December 30, 2004 that suspended such

requirements. In order to provide a period for adjustment, the

United States will allow shipments of goods that are not accompanied

by an export visa to enter the United States if exported prior to

March 25, 2005. However, shipments exported from Ukraine on or after

March 25, 2005, must be accompanied by an export visa issued by the

Government of Ukraine, and shipments without an export visa will be

denied entry.

In carrying out the above directions, the Commissioner, Bureau

of Customs and Border Protection 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,

James C. Leonard III,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

FR Doc. E5-740 Filed 2-22-05; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DRS