Committee for the Implementation of Textiles Agreements (CITA) Implements Interim CAFTA-DR Commercial Availability Provision Procedures

For Immediate Release: February 22, 2006
Contact: Matt Englehart (202) 482-2809

Committee for the Implementation of Textiles Agreements (CITA) Implements
Interim CAFTA-DR Commercial Availability Provision Procedures

Today, the Committee for the Implementation of Textiles Agreements (CITA) published in the Federal Register the interim procedures it will follow to implement the Commercial Availability Provision (Paragraph 3.25.4) of the United States - Central America - Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR). The procedures can be viewed at http://otexa.ita.doc.gov/fr2006/cafta_dr.htm.

Pursuant to the CAFTA-DR, the procedures provide that fabrics, yarns, or fibers that are not available in commercial quantities in a timely manner in CAFTA-DR countries may be eligible for preferential treatment under CAFTA-DR. These procedures establish the method that CITA will use to disseminate information regarding requests, responses and rebuttal information received under the Commercial Availability Provision. Interested parties can provide an email address for receiving notifications regarding commercial availability submissions by visiting the following web site: http://web.ita.doc.gov/tacgi/CABroadcast.nsf/Document?Openform. Requests to be included in the email database can also be emailed to OTEXA_CAFTA@ita.doc.gov.

CITA will email information to all interested parties who have provided an email address and will post information on a dedicated web page at http://otexa.ita.doc.gov.

Background:
The intent of the CAFTA-DR Commercial Availability Provision is to foster the use of U.S. and regional products by allowing products to be placed on or removed from a product list, on a timely basis, and in a manner that is consistent with normal business practice. To this end, these procedures are intended to facilitate the transmission, on a timely basis, of order requests and offers to supply such requests; have the market indicate the availability of the supply of products that are the subject of requests; make available promptly, to interested entities and parties, information regarding the requests for products and offers received; ensure wide participation by interested entities and parties; provide careful scrutiny of information provided to substantiate order requests and response offers; and to provide timely public dissemination of information used by CITA in making commercial availability determinations.