COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Announcement of an Import Restraint Limit and Guaranteed Access Level for Certain Cotton and Man-Made Fiber Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in Honduras

December 23, 1997.

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


ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs establishing an import limit and guaranteed access level.

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 import restraint limit and guaranteed access level for textile products in Categories 352/652, produced or manufactured in Honduras and exported during the period January 1, 1998 through March 26, 1998, are based on limits notified to the Textiles Monitoring Body pursuant to the Uruguay Round Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC) and a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) dated September 15, 1995 between the Governments of the United States and Honduras.


In the letter published below, the Chairman of CITA directs the Commissioner of Customs to establish the 1998 limit and guaranteed access level.


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 62 FR 66057, published on December 17, 1997).
Requirements for participation in the Special Access Programare available in Federal Register notices 51 FR 21208, published on June 11, 1986; 52 FR 26057, published on July 10, 1987; 54 FR 50425, published on December 6, 1989; 61 FR 38236, published on July 23, 1996, and 62 FR 49206, published on September 19, 1997.


J. Hayden Boyd,
Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.



Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements
December 23, 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 Uruguay Round Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC), you are directed to prohibit, effective on January 1, 1998, entry into the United States for consumption and withdrawal from warehouse for consumption of cotton, wool and man-made fiber textile products in Categories 352/652, produced or manufactured in Honduras and exported during the period beginning on January 1, 1998 and extending through March 26, 1998 in excess of 2,634,919 dozen of which not more than 1,941,519 dozen shall be in Categories 352-K/652-K1

1Category 352-K: only HTS numbers 6107.11.0010, 6107.11.0020, 6108.19.9010, 6108.21.0010, 6108.21.0020, 6108.91.0005, 6108.91.0015, 6108.91.0025, 6109.10.0005, 6109.10.0007, 6109.10.0009, 6109.10.0037; Category 652-K: 6107.12.0010, 6107.12.0020, 6108.11.0010, 6108.11.0020, 6108.22.9020, 6108.22.9030, 6108.92.0005, 6108.92.0015, 6108.92.0025, 6109.90.1047 and 6109.90.1075.



The limit set forth above is subject to adjustment pursuant to the provisions of the ATC and administrative arrangements notified to the Textiles Monitoring Body.

Products in the above categories exported during 1997 shall be charged to the applicable category limit for that year (see directive dated November 19, 1996) to the extent of any unfilled balance. In the event the limit established for that period has been exhausted by previous entries, such products shall be charged to the limit set forth in this directive.


Also pursuant to the ATC and a Memorandum of Understanding dated September 15, 1995 between the Governments of the United States and Honduras; and under the Special Access Program, as set forth in 51 FR 21208 (June 11, 1986), 52 FR 26057 (July 10, 1987), 54 FR 50425 (December 6, 1989), 61 FR 49439 (September 20, 1996), effective on January 1, 1998, a guaranteed access level of 11,643,836 dozen is being established for properly certified textile products assembled in Honduras from fabric formed and cut in the United States in textile products in Categories 352/652 which are re-exported to the United States from Honduras during the period January 1, 1998 through March 26, 1998.

Any shipment for entry under the Special Access Program which is not accompanied by a valid and correct certification and Export Declaration in accordance with the provisions of the certification requirements established in the directive of July 18, 1996 shall be denied entry unless the Government of the Republic of Honduras authorizes the entry and any charges to the appropriate specific limit. Any shipment which is declared for entry under the Special Access Program but found not to qualify shall be denied entry into the United States.

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,
J. Hayden Boyd,
Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements
[FR Doc.97-0000 Filed 0-00-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F