COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Announcement of Import Restraint Limits for Certain Cotton, Wool and Man-Made Fiber Textiles and Textile Products and Silk Blend and Other Vegetable Fiber Apparel Produced or Manufactured in Malaysia

December 22, 1997.

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


ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs establishing limits.

EFFECTIVE DATE: January 1, 1998.


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 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 limits for textile products, produced or manufactured in Malaysia and exported during the period January 1, 1998 through December 31, 1998 are based on limits notified to the Textiles Monitoring Body pursuant to the Uruguay Round Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC).

Pursuant to the provisions of the ATC, the second stage of the integration commences on January 1, 1998 (see 60 FR 21075, published on May 1, 1995). Accordingly, certain previously restrained categories may have been modified or eliminated and certain limits may have been revised. Integrated products will no longer be subject to quota. CITA has informed Malaysia of its intent to continue the bilateral visa arrangement for those products.


In the letter published below, the Chairman of CITA directs the Commissioner of Customs to establish the 1998 limits. The limits for Categories 336/636, 338/339, 347/348, 619, 620 and 638/639 are being reduced for carryforward applied to the 1997limits.



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). Also see 62 FR 51832, published on October 3, 1997.

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



Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements
December 22, 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 textiles and textile products and silk blend and other vegetable fiber apparel in the following categories, produced or manufactured in Malaysia and exported during the twelve-month period beginning on January 1, 1998 and extending through December 31, 1998, in excess of the following limits:


CategoryTwelve-month restraint limit
Fabric Group
218, 219, 220, 225-227, 313-315, 317, 326, 611, 613/614/615/617, 619 and 620, as a group123,734,420 square meters.
Sublevels within the group
2187,099,273 square meters.
21934,392,033 square meters.
22034,392,033 square meters.
22534,392,033 square meters.
22634,392,033 square meters.
22734,392,033 square meters.
31341,018,021 square meters.
31449,347,781 square meters.
31534,392,033 square meters.
31734,392,033 square meters.
3266,650,644 square meters.
6113,990,386 square meters.
613/614/615/61739,478,226 square meters.
6195,026,835 square meters.
6206,283,543 square meters.
Other specific limits
200299,373 kilograms.
237402,804 dozen.
300/3013,175,182 kilograms.
331/6312,180,033 dozen pairs.
333/334/335/835250,005 dozen of which not more than 150,003 dozen shall be in Category 333 and not more than 150,003 dozen shall be in Category 835.
336/636458,595 dozen.
338/3391,136,966 dozen.
340/6401,401,716 dozen.
341/6411,816,676 dozen of which not more than 648,100 dozen shall be in Category 341.
342/642/842435,133 dozen.
345166,859 dozen.
347/348481,848 dozen.
350/650156,926 dozen.
351/651270,002 dozen.
3634,229,809 numbers.
43515,440 dozen.
438-W112,635 dozen.
44218,815 dozen.
445/44629,866 dozen.
6041,392,247 kilograms.
634/635847,896 dozen.
638/639471,904 dozen.
645/646382,028 dozen.
647/6481,797,782 dozen of which not more than 1,258,445 dozen shall be in Category 647-K2 and not more than 1,258,445 dozen shall be in Category 648-K3.
Group II
201, 222-224, 239pt.4, 332, 352, 359pt.5, 360-362, 369pt.6, 400-431, 433, 434, 436, 438-O7, 440, 443, 444, 447, 448, 459pt.8, 464, 469pt.9, 600-603, 606, 607, 618, 621, 622, 624-629, 633, 643, 644, 649, 652, 659pt.10, 666, 669pt.11, 670, 831, 833, 834, 836, 838, 840, 843-858 and 859pt.12, as a group40,586,900 square meters equivalent.
1Category 438-W: only HTS numbers 6104.21.0060, 6104.23.0020, 6104.29.2051, 6106.20.1010, 6106.20.1020,6106.90.1010, 6106.90.1020, 6106.90.2520, 6106.90.3020, 6109.90.1540, 6109.90.8020, 6110.10.2080, 6110.30.1560, 6110.90.9074 and 6114.10.0040.
2Category 647-K: only HTS numbers 6103.23.0040, 6103.23.0045, 6103.29.1020, 6103.29.1030, 6103.43.1520, 6103.43.1540, 6103.43.1550, 6103.43.1570, 6103.49.1020, 6103.49.1060, 6103.49.8014, 6112.12.0050, 6112.19.1050, 6112.20,.1060 and 6113.00.9044.
3Category 648-K: only HTS numbers 6104.23.0032, 6104.23.0034, 6104.29.1030, 6104.29.1040, 6104.29.2038, 6104.63.2006, 6104.63.2011, 6104.63.2026, 6104.63.2028, 6104.63.2030, 6104.63.2060, 6104.69.2030, 6104.69.2060, 6104.69.8026, 6112.12.0060, 6112.19.1060, 6112.20.1070, 6113.00.9052 and 6117.90.9070.
4Category 239pt.: only HTS number 6209.20.5040 (diapers).
5Category 359pt.: all HTS numbers except 6406.99.1550.
6Category 369pt.: all HTS numbers except 5601.10.1000, 5601.21.0090, 5701.90.1020, 5701.90.2020, 5702.10.9020, 5702.39.2010, 5702.49.1020, 5702.49.1080, 5702.59.1000, 5702.99.1010, 5702.99.1090, 5705.00.2020 and 6406.10.7700.
7Category 438-O: only HTS numbers 6103.21.0050, 6103.23.0025, 6105.20.1000, 6105.90.1000, 6105.90.8020, 6109.90.1520, 6110.10.2070, 6110.30.1550, 6110.90.9072, 6114.10.0020 and 6117.90.9025.
8Category 459pt.: all HTS numbers except 6405.20.6030, 6405.20.6060, 6405.20.6090, 6405.99.1505 and 6406.99.1560.
9Category 469pt.: all HTS numbers except 5601.29.0020, 5603.94.1010 and 6406.10.9020.
10Category 659pt.: all HTS numbers except 6406.99.1510 and 6406.99.1540.
11Category 669pt.: all HTS numbers except 5601.10.2000, 5601.22.0090, 5607.49.3000, 5607.50.4000 and 6406.10.9040.
12Category 859pt.: only HTS numbers 6115.19.8040, 6117.10.6020, 6212.10.5030, 6212.10.9040, 6212.20.0030, 6212.30.0030, 6212.90.0090, 6214.10.2000 and 6214.90.0090.


The limits set forth above are 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 limits for that year (see the November 4, 1996 directive) 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.


Products for integration in 1998 listed in the Federal Register notice published on May 1, 1995 (60 FR 21075) which are exported during 1997 shall be charged to the applicable limits to the extent of any unfilled balances. After January 1, 1998, should those unfilled balances be exhausted, such products shall no longer be charged to any limit, due to integration of these products into GATT 1994.





CITA has informed Malaysia of its intent to continue the bilateral visa arrangement for those products. An export visa will continue to be required, if applicable, for products integrated on and after January 1, 1998, before entry is permitted 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