75516 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 242 / Friday, December 17, 2004 / Notices 

that currently or could pose market 

barriers. 

3. Principal topics. Describe the 

suggested topics for the workshop, for 

inclusion in a plenary session and 

break-out sessions. 

4. Please state which venue for 

holding the workshop, the U.S. 

(Washington, DC area) or China 

(Beijing), would be most convenient and 

include a brief explanation as to why. 

5. Proposed foreign participants. 

Provide a representative list of the 

organizations that you would like to see 

invited to participate in the workshop, 

including a description of their function 

or business and their country of 

incorporation or origin. Also, please 

identify potential Chinese participants 

and speakers. 

6. U.S. stakeholder participants (e.g., 

associations, agencies, companies, 

users, others). Provide a list of the U.S.-

based organizations that are likely to 

partner with you for participation in the 

workshop. 

7. Proposed focus area objectives. 

Describe the intended goals to be 

attained and why they are important. 

Additional information about the first 

three workshops in this series is 

available at http://ts.nist.gov/ts/htdocs/

210/gsig/apec1.htm#workshop,

http://www.technology.gov/Prel/

pr040819.htm, http://www.mac.doc.gov/

china/workshop%20summary.htm.

Dated: December 8, 2004. 

Hratch G. Semerjian, 

Acting Director.

[FR Doc. 04–27646 Filed 12–16–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–13–P

COMMITTEE FOR THE 

IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE 

AGREEMENTS 

Cancellation of Visa, ELVIS, 

Guaranteed Access Level (GAL) 

Certification, and Exempt Certification 

Requirements for Member Countries of 

the World Trade Organization (WTO) 

December 14, 2004.

AGENCY: Committee for the 

Implementation of Textile Agreements 

(CITA).

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the 

Commissioner, Bureau of Customs and 

Border Protection canceling visa 

requirements for WTO member 

countries. 

DATES: Effective Date: January 1, 2005.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Philip J. Martello, Director, Trade and 

Data Division, Office of Textiles and 

Apparel, U.S. Department of Commerce, 

(202) 482–3400.

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). 

The WTO Agreement on Textiles and 

Clothing (ATC), approved by Congress 

as part of the Uruguay Round 

Agreements Act, provides for the 

integration of the textiles and clothing 

sectors into the General Agreement on 

Tariffs and Trade 1994. In accordance 

with its obligations under the ATC, and 

consistent with Section 331 of the 

Uruguay Round Agreements Act and the 

schedule announced by CITA on May 1, 

1995 (60 FR 21075), the United States 

will no longer impose textile and 

apparel quotas under the ATC for goods 

exported on or after January 1, 2005. 

Consistent with these obligations, the 

United States has informed its trading 

partners with whom it has entered into 

visa arrangements in order to carry out 

such quotas and which are members of 

the WTO that such visa arrangements 

will be terminated and will not apply to 

goods exported from the country of 

origin on and after January 1, 2005. 

In the letter below, CITA instructs the 

Bureau of Customs and Border 

Protection to cancel all requirements for 

visas, ELVIS transmissions, GAL 

certifications, and exempt certifications, 

for goods exported from the country of 

origin on or after January 1, 2005. For 

goods that are the product of countries 

that are not members of the WTO, 

applicable requirements for visas, ELVIS 

transmissions, GAL certifications, and 

exempt certifications will remain in 

effect.

James C. Leonard III, 

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation 

of Textile Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile 

Agreements 

Commissioner, Bureau of Customs and 

Border Protection, Washington, DC 20229.

Dear Commissioner: This directive cancels 

all previous directives concerning 

requirements for visa, ELVIS transmissions, 

Guaranteed Access Level (GAL) 

Certifications, and Exempt Certifications, 

issued to you by the Chairman, Committee 

for the Implementation of Textile 

Agreements, for the following countries, 

covering cotton, wool, man-made fiber, silk 

blend and non-cotton vegetable fiber textile 

and textile products subject to the Agreement 

on Textiles and Clothing, effective for goods 

exported from those countries on and after 

January 1, 2005: Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brazil, 

Cambodia, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, 

Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Fiji, 

Guatemala, Haiti, Hong Kong, Hungary, 

India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan, Korea, 

Lebanon, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, 

Mauritius, Macedonia, Nepal, Oman, 

Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Poland, Philippines, 

Qatar, Romania, Singapore, Slovak Republic, 

Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad, 

Turkey, UAE, and Uruguay. 

The Committee for the Implementation of 

Textile Agreement has determined that this 

action falls within the foreign affairs 

exception to the rulemaking provisions of 5 

U.S.C. 553(a)(1). 

Sincerely, 

James C. Leonard III, 

Chairman, Committee for the 

Implementation of Textile Agreements.

[FR Doc. 04–27789 Filed 12–15–04; 4:05 pm] 

BILLING CODE 3510–DS–U

COMMITTEE FOR THE 

IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE 

AGREEMENTS 

Solicitation of Public Comments on 

Request for Textile and Apparel 

Safeguard Action on Imports From 

China

AGENCY: The Committee for the 

Implementation of Textile Agreements 

(the Committee).

ACTION: Solicitation of public comments 

concerning a request for safeguard 

action on imports from China of knit 

fabric (Category 222). 

SUMMARY: The Committee has received a 

request from the National Council of 

Textile Organizations, the National 

Textile Association, the American 

Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition, 

and UNITE HERE! (Requestors) asking 

the Committee to reapply the limit on 

imports from China of knit fabric in 

accordance with the textile and apparel 

safeguard provision of the Working 

Party on the Accession of China to the 

World Trade Organization (the 

Accession Agreement). On December 

24, 2003 the Committee established an 

Accession Agreement limit on imports 

from China of knit fabric, which will 

expire on December 23, 2004. The 

Committee hereby solicits public 

comments on this request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jay 

Dowling, Office of Textiles and Apparel, 

U.S. Department of Commerce, (202) 

482–4058.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Authority:

Section 204 of the Agriculture Act of 

1956, as amended; Executive Order 

11651, as amended. 

Background 

The textile and apparel safeguard 

provision of the Accession Agreement 

provides for the United States and other 

members of the World Trade 

Organization that believe imports of