[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 215 (Friday, November 6, 1998)] [Notices] [Page 59942] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 98-29829] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS Announcement of Import Restraint Limits for Certain Cotton, Man- Made Fiber, Silk Blend and Other Vegetable Fiber Textiles and Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in Bangladesh November 3, 1998. AGENCY: Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA). ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs establishing limits. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- EFFECTIVE DATE: January 1, 1999. 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, call (202) 927-5850, or refer to the U.S. Customs website at http://www.customs.ustreas.gov. 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 Bangladesh and exported during the period January 1, 1999 through December 31, 1999 are based on the limits notified to the Textiles Monitoring Body pursuant to the Uruguay Round Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC). In the letter published below, the Chairman of CITA directs the Commissioner of Customs to establish the limits for the 1999 period. The 1999 limits for certain categories have been reduced for carryforward applied to the 1998 limits. Effective on January 1, 1999, a visa will no longer be required for products integrated in the second stage of the integration of textiles and clothing into GATT 1994 from WTO member countries (see 63 FR 53881, published on October 7, 1998). A visa will continue to be required for non integrated products. For quota purposes only, products remaining in categories partially integrated will continue to be designated by the designator ``pt.'' 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). Information regarding the 1999 CORRELATION will be published in the Federal Register at a later date. D. Michael Hutchinson, Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements. Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements November 3, 1998. 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, 1999, entry into the United States for consumption and withdrawal from warehouse for consumption of cotton, man-made fiber, silk blend and other vegetable fiber textile products in the following categories, produced or manufactured in Bangladesh and exported during the twelve-month period beginning on January 1, 1999 and extending through December 31, 1999, in excess of the following levels of restraint: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Category Twelve-month restraint limit ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 237....................................... 505,495 dozen. 331....................................... 1,354,428 dozen pairs. 334....................................... 154,215 dozen. 335....................................... 276,895 dozen. 336/636................................... 495,508 dozen. 338/339................................... 1,435,433 dozen. 340/640................................... 3,244,886 dozen. 341....................................... 2,688,094 dozen. 342/642................................... 479,015 dozen. 347/348................................... 2,419,283 dozen. 351/651................................... 738,646 dozen. 352/652................................... 11,019,845 dozen. 363....................................... 27,532,454 numbers. 369-S \1\................................. 1,845,520 kilograms. 634....................................... 539,527 dozen. 635....................................... 349,551 dozen. 638/639................................... 1,820,392 dozen. 641....................................... 1,171,266 dozen. 645/646................................... 427,498 dozen. 647/648................................... 1,521,563 dozen. 847....................................... 854,436 dozen. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ \1\ Category 369-S: only HTS number 6307.10.2005. 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 1998 shall be charged to the applicable category limits for that year (see directive dated November 19, 1997) 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. Effective on January 1, 1999, a visa will no longer be required for products integrated in the second stage of the integration of textiles and clothing into GATT 1994 from WTO member countries (see directive dated September 30, 1998). A visa will continue to be required for non-integrated products. For quota purposes only, products remaining in categories partially integrated will continue to be designated by the designator ``pt.'' 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, D. Michael Hutchinson, Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements. [FR Doc. 98-29829 Filed 11-5-98; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F