Announcement of Import Limits for Certain Wool Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Announcement of Import Limits for Certain Wool Textile Products

Produced or Manufactured in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

December 1, 1997.

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, 1998.

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 or call (202) 927-5850. 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 November 7, 1997 between the

Governments of the United States and the Former Yugoslav Republic of

Macedonia establishes limits for certain wool textile products,

produced or manufactured in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

and exported during the period January 1, 1998 through December 31,

1998.

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

Commissioner of Customs to establish the 1998 limits. The limits for

Categories 434, 435 and 443 have been reduced for carryforward applied

in 1997.

These limits may be revised if the Former Yugoslav Republic of

Macedonia becomes a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and

the United States applies the WTO agreement to the Former Yugoslav

Republic of Macedonia.

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 66263, published on December 17, 1996).

Information regarding the 1998 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 1, 1997.

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 of

November 7, 1997 between the Governments of the United States and

the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, you are directed to

prohibit, effective on January 1, 1998, 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 the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and

exported during the period beginning on January 1, 1998 extending

through December 31, 1998, in excess of the following levels of

restraint:

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Category Twelve-month limit

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433....................................... 20,400 dozen.

434....................................... 9,575 dozen.

435....................................... 25,638 dozen.

443....................................... 157,987 numbers.

448....................................... 61,200 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 the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Products in the above categories exported during 1997 shall be

charged to the applicable category limits for that year (see

directive dated September 11, 1996) 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 the Former Yugoslav Republic of

Macedonia becomes a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and

the United States applies the WTO agreement to the Former Yugoslav

Republic of Macedonia.

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 to the rulemaking provisions of 5 U.S.C.553(a)(1).

Sincerely,

Troy H. Cribb,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

[Doc.97-31885 Filed 12-4-97; 8:45 am]

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