[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 95 (Wednesday, May 17, 1995)] [Notices] [Pages 26407-26408] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 95-12107] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS Request for Public Comments on Bilateral Textile Consultations on Spun Yarn May 11, 1995. AGENCY: Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA). ACTION: Notice. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ross Arnold, International Trade Specialists, Office of Textiles and Apparel, U.S. Department of Commerce, (202) 482-4212. For information on categories for which consultations have been requested, call (202) 482-3740. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Authority: Executive Order 11651 of March 3, 1972, as amended; section 204 of the Agricultural Act of 1956, as amended (7 U.S.C. 1854). On April 27, 1995, under the terms of Article 6 of the Uruguay Round Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC) and the Uruguay Round Agreements Act, the Government of the United States requested consultations with the Government of Thailand with respect to spun yarn containing 85 percent or more by weight artificial staple fiber in Category 603, produced or manufactured in Thailand. The purpose of this notice is to advise the public that, if no solution is agreed upon in consultations with the Government of Thailand, the Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements may later establish a limit for the entry and withdrawal from warehouse for consumption of textile [[Page 26408]] products in Category 603, produced or manufactured in Thailand and exported during the twelve- month period April 27, 1995 through April 26, 1996, at a level of not less than 1,249,659 kilograms. On April 27, 1995, CITA dropped its request for consultations with Thailand on Category 603 that was made on November 28, 1994 (see 60 FR 2081, published on January 6, 1995) and resubmitted the request under Article 6 of the ATC. A summary statement of serious damage concerning Category 603 follows this notice. Anyone wishing to comment or provide data or information regarding the treatment of Category 603, or to comment on domestic production or availability of products included in Category 603, is invited to submit 10 copies of such comments or information to Rita D. Hayes, Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements, U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, DC 20230; ATTN: Helen L. LeGrande. The comments received will be considered in the context of the consultations with the Government of Thailand. Because the exact timing of the consultations is not yet certain, comments should be submitted promptly. Comments or information submitted in response to this notice will be available for public inspection in the Office of Textiles and Apparel, room H3100, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC. Further comments may be invited regarding particular comments or information received from the public which the Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements considers appropriate for further consideration. The solicitation of comments regarding any aspect of the agreement or the implementation thereof is not a waiver in any respect of the exemption contained in 5 U.S.C. 553(a)(1) relating to matters which constitute ``a foreign affairs function of the United States.'' The United States remains committed to finding a solution concerning Category 603. Should such a solution be reached in consultations with the Government Thailand, 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 59 FR 65531, published on December 20, 1994). Rita D. Hayes, Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements. Summary Statement of Serious Damage Spun Yarn Containing 85 Percent or More By Weight Artificial Staple Fiber--Category 603 April 1995 The sharp and substantial increase in imports of spun yarn containing 85 percent or more by weight artificial staple fiber, Category 603, is causing serious damage to the U.S. industry producing spun yarn containing 85 percent or more by weight artificial staple fiber. Category 603 imports surged from 5,259,000 kilograms in 1992 to 9,886,000 kilograms in 1993, a 88 percent increase. Imports of spun yarns containing 85 percent or more by weight artificial staple fiber, Category 603, continued to increase in 1994 and 1995, reaching 12,966,000 kilograms during year ending January 1995, 27 percent above the year ending January 1994 level and two and a half times the 1992 level. Serious damage to the domestic industry resulting from the sharp and substantial increase in imports of spun yarn containing 85 percent or more by weight artificial staple fiber is attributed to imports from Thailand. Surging imports and low priced yarns from Thailand have resulted in loss of domestic output, market share, investment, employment, and man-hours worked. U.S. imports of spun yarn containing 85 percent or more by weight artificial staple fiber, Category 603, from Thailand reached 1,249,659 kilograms during the year ending January 1995, three times the 408,257 kilograms imported during the year ending January 1994 and two times Thailand's calendar year 1992 import level. [FR Doc. 95-12107 Filed 5-16-95; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F