WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/TMB/N/329
27 July 1998
(98-2980)
Textiles Monitoring Body Original:  English
AGREEMENT ON TEXITLES AND CLOTHING
Notification under Articles 2.21 and 8.1
Communication from Hong Kong, China; India and Pakistan
The Textiles Monitoring Body has received the following joint communication, pursuant to
paragraph 21 of Article 2 and paragraph 1 of Article 8, from Hong Kong, China; India and Pakistan.
The TMB has considered this communication in accordance with paragraph 21 of Article 21
and is forwarding the text of this communication to WTO Members for their information.
                                                     
1 The consideration of this joint communication is contained in G/TMB/R/45, paragraphs 53 to 63.G/TMB/N/329
Page 2
H. E. Mr. András Szepesi
TMB Chairman
WTO Secretariat154 rue de Lausanne
1211 Geneva 20
17 June 1998
Dear Ambassador Szepesi,
We write to request the Textiles Monitoring Body to review, in accordance with Articles 8.1
and 2.21 of the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing, the implementation of the Stage 2 integration
programme of the United States of America with respect to the continuation of visa requirement forproducts included in this programme.
Such visa requirements have been introduced pursuant to the Arrangement Regarding
International Trade in Textiles and notified to the Textiles Monitoring Body as administrative
arrangements under Article 2.17 of the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing.
Under Article 2 of the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing, textile products are required to be
integrated into the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994.  Thus measures applied pursuant to
the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing should cease to apply to products when they are integrated.
If, instead, some of these measures continue to apply, it follows that the products have not been fullyintegrated into the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994.
In a notice dated 29 September 1997, the Committee for the Implementation of Textile
Agreements announced that the United States of America will continue to require visas for products
integrated on and after 1 January 1998 before entry is permitted into the United States (see appended
extract from the Federal Register).
It is our view that, in maintaining the vi sa requirement for integrated products, the
United States of America is not fulfilling its obligations under Article 2.8(a) of the Agreement on
Textiles and Clothing.  Accordingly, we request the Textiles Monitoring Body to review the matter in
terms of Articles 8.1 and 2.21 of the ATC and make appropriate recommendations.
Accept, Ambassador, the assurances of our highest consideration.
(Signed) (Signed) (Signed)
Stuart Harbinson Srinivasan Narayanan Munir Akram
Permanent Representative Ambassador, Permanent Ambassador, Permanent
of the Hong Kong SAR Representative of India Representative of Pakistan
of China to the WTO to the WTO to the WTOG/TMB/N/329
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Extract from the Federal Register (vol. 62. No. 192/Friday, 3 October 1997/Notices)
COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION
OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS
Visa Requirements for Textile and Clothing Products in the Second Stage
of Integration into the World Trade Organization
29 September 1997
Supplementary Information
Authority Executive Order 11891 of 3 March 1972, as amended:  section 204 of the
Agricultural Act of 1956, as amended (7 US C 1854):  the Uruguay Round Agreements Act
The Uruguay Round Agreement on Textiles and Clothing provides for the integration of
textile and clothing into GATT 1994.  The second stage of the integration will commence on
1 January 1998 (see 60 FR 21075, published on 1 May 1996).
The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements has determined that is its
necessary to maintain coverage of the currently applicable visa systems for the products to be
integrated in the second stage of the integration.  Therefore, an export visa issued by the government
of the country of origin will continue to be required for products integrated on and after1 January 1998, before entry is permitted into the United States.
Troy H. Cribb
Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements
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