[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 242 (Friday, December 17, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Page 75516]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-27789]


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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.

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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