COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

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

December 1, 1999.

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


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

EFFECTIVE DATE: January 1, 2000.


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 Thailand and exported during the period January 1, 2000 through December 31, 2000 are based on 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 2000 limits. Carryforward used will be charged to the 2000 limits as it is used. The limit for Category 603 will begin on January 1, 2000 and extend through September 30, 2000.

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 63 FR 71096, published on December 23, 1998). Information regarding the 2000 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, 1999.


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, 2000, entry into the United States for consumption and withdrawal from warehouse for consumption of cotton, wool, man-made fiber, silk blend and other vegetable fiber textiles and textile products in the following categories, produced or manufactured in Thailand and exported during the twelve-month period beginning on January 1, 2000 and extending through December 31, 2000; and the nine-month period beginning on January 1, 2000 and extending through September 30, 2000 (Category 603), in excess of the following limits:


CategoryTwelve-month restraint limit
Level not in a Group
239pt.12,151,014 kilograms.
Levels in Group I
2001,403,884 kilograms.
21821,914,934 square meters.
2197,487,390 square meters.
3005,615,543 kilograms.
301-P25,615,543 kilograms.
301-O31,123,110 kilograms.
313-O426,205,863 square meters.
314-O559,899,113 square meters.
315-O637,436,945 square meters.
317-O/326-O715,716,392 square meters.
36324,334,015 numbers.
369-D8267,675 kilograms.
369-S9374,369 kilograms.
6031,853,940 kilograms.
604875,897 kilograms of which not more than 561,554 kilograms shall be in Category 604-A10.
6073,743,692 kilograms.
611-O1113,363,740 square meters.
613/614/61556,579,007 square meters of which not more than 32,944,512 square meters shall be in Categories 613/615 and not more than 32,944,512 square meters shall be in Category 614.
61720,431,307 square meters.
6198,423,312 square meters.
6208,423,312 square meters.
625/626/627/628/62916,502,210 square meters of which not more than 13,102,931 square meters shall be in Category 625.
669-P127,895,757 kilograms.
Group II
237, 331-348, 350-352, 359-H13, 359pt.14, 431, 433-438, 440, 442-448, 459pt.15, 631, 633-652, 659-H16, 659pt.17, 831, 833-838, 840-858 and 859pt.18, as a group343,465,758 square meters equivalent.
Sublevels in Group II
331/6312,043,335 dozen pairs.
334/634730,021 dozen.
335/635/835580,272 dozen.
336/636374,369 dozen.
338/3392,136,871 dozen.
340336,933 dozen.
341/641795,535 dozen.
342/642692,584 dozen.
345355,651 dozen.
347/348/847978,039 dozen.
351/651280,776 dozen.
359-H/659-H1,642,389 kilograms.
4339,924 dozen.
43412,250 dozen.
43555,665 dozen.
43818,375 dozen.
44221,338 dozen.
638/6392,518,456 dozen.
640617,708 dozen.
645/646374,369 dozen.
647/6481,332,755 dozen.
1Category 239pt.: only HTS number 6209.20.5040 (diapers).
2Category 301-P: only HTS numbers 5206.21.0000, 5206.22.0000, 5206.23.0000, 5206.24.0000, 5206.25.0000, 5206.41.0000, 5206.42.0000, 5206.43.0000, 5206.44.0000 and 5206.45.0000.
3Category 301-O: only HTS numbers 5205.21.0020, 5205.21.0090, 5205.22.0020, 5205.22.0090, 5205.23.0020, 5205.23.0090, 5205.24.0020, 5205.24.0090, 5205.26.0020, 5205.26.0090, 5205.27.0020, 5205.27.0090, 5205.28.0020, 5205.28.0090, 5205.41.0020, 5205.41.0090, 5205.42.0020, 5205.42.0090, 5205.43.0020, 5205.43.0090, 5205.44.0020, 5205.44.0090, 5205.46.0020, 5205.46.0090, 5205.47.0020, 5205.47.0090, 5205.48.0020 and 5205.48.0090.
4Category 313-O: all HTS numbers except 5208.52.3035, 5208.52.4035 and 5209.51.6032.
5Category 314-O: all HTS numbers except 5209.51.6015.
6Category 315-O: all HTS numbers except 5208.52.4055.
7Category 317-O: all HTS numbers except 5208.59.2085; Category 326-O: all HTS numbers except 5208.59.2015, 5209.59.0015 and 5211.59.0015.
8Category 369-D: only HTS numbers 6302.60.0010, 6302.91.0005 and 6302.91.0045.
9Category 369-S: only HTS number 6307.10.2005.
10Category 604-A: only HTS number 5509.32.0000.
11Category 611-O: all HTS numbers except 5516.14.0005, 5516.14.0025 and 5516.14.0085.
12Category 669-P: only HTS numbers 6305.32.0010, 6305.32.0020, 6305.33.0010, 6305.33.0020 and 6305.39.0000.
13Category 359-H: only HTS numbers 6505.90.1540 and 6505.90.2060.
14Category 359pt.: all HTS numbers except 6505.90.1540, 6505.90.2060 (Category 359-H); and 6406.99.1550.
15Category 459pt.: all HTS numbers except 6405.20.6030, 6405.20.6060, 6405.20.6090, 6406.99.1505 and 6406.99.1560.
16Category 659-H: only HTS numbers 6502.00.9030, 6504.00.9015, 6504.00.9060, 6505.90.5090, 6505.90.6090, 6505.90.7090 and 6505.90.8090.
17Category 659pt.: all HTS numbers except 6502.00.9030, 6504.00.9015, 6504.00.9060, 6505.90.5090, 6505.90.6090, 6505.90.7090, 6505.90.8090 (Category 659-H); 6406.99.1510 and 6406.99.1540.
18Category 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 1999 shall be charged to the applicable category limits for that year (see directives dated October 27, 1998) 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.

The conversion factors for merged Categories 359-H/659-H and 638/639 are 11.5 and 12.96, respectively.

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,

Troy H. Cribb,
Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.
[FR Doc. 99-0000 Filed 0-00-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F