[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 249 (Tuesday, December 30, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67834-67836]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-33913]


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COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS


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

December 22, 1997.
AGENCY: Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA).

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

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EFFECTIVE DATE: January 1, 1998.

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 or call (202) 927-5850. 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 Malaysia and exported during the period January 1, 1998 
through

[[Page 67835]]

December 31, 1998 are based on limits notified to the Textiles 
Monitoring Body pursuant to the Uruguay Round Agreement on Textiles and 
Clothing (ATC).
    Pursuant to the provisions of the ATC, the second stage of the 
integration commences on January 1, 1998 (see 60 FR 21075, published on 
May 1, 1995). Accordingly, certain previously restrained categories may 
have been modified or eliminated and certain limits may have been 
revised. Integrated products will no longer be subject to quota. CITA 
has informed Malaysia of its intent to continue the bilateral visa 
arrangement for those products.
    In the letter published below, the Chairman of CITA directs the 
Commissioner of Customs to establish the 1998 limits. The limits for 
Categories 336/636, 338/339, 347/348, 619, 620 and 638/639 are being 
reduced for carryforward applied to the 1997 limits.
    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 62 FR 66057, published on December 17, 1997). Also see 
62 FR 51832, published on October 3, 1997.
J. Hayden Boyd,
Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile 
Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements
December 22, 1997.

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, 1998, entry into the United States for consumption and 
withdrawal from warehouse for consumption of cotton, wool and man-
made fiber textiles and textile products and silk blend and other 
vegetable fiber apparel in the following categories, produced or 
manufactured in Malaysia and exported during the twelve-month period 
beginning on January 1, 1998 and extending through December 31, 
1998, in excess of the following limits:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 Category                   Twelve-month restraint limit
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fabric Group                                                            
218, 219, 220, 225-227, 313-315, 317, 326,  123,734,420 square meters.  
 611, 613/614/615/617, 619 and 620, as a                                
 group.                                                                 
Sublevels within the group                                              
218.......................................  7,099,273 square meters.    
219.......................................  34,392,033 square meters.   
220.......................................  34,392,033 square meters.   
225.......................................  34,392,033 square meters.   
226.......................................  34,392,033 square meters.   
227.......................................  34,392,033 square meters.   
313.......................................  41,018,021 square meters.   
314.......................................  49,347,781 square meters.   
315.......................................  34,392,033 square meters.   
317.......................................  34,392,033 square meters.   
326.......................................  6,650,644 square meters.    
611.......................................  3,990,386 square meters.    
613/614/615/617...........................  39,478,226 square meters.   
619.......................................  5,026,835 square meters.    
620.......................................  6,283,543 square meters.    
Other specific limits                                                   
200.......................................  299,373 kilograms.          
237.......................................  402,804 dozen.              
300/301...................................  3,175,182 kilograms.        
331/631...................................  2,180,033 dozen pairs.      
333/334/335/835...........................  250,005 dozen of which not  
                                             more than 150,003 dozen    
                                             shall be in Category 333   
                                             and not more than 150,003  
                                             dozen shall be in Category 
                                             835.                       
336/636...................................  458,595 dozen.              
338/339...................................  1,136,966 dozen.            
340/640...................................  1,401,716 dozen.            
341/641...................................  1,816,676 dozen of which not
                                             more than 648,100 dozen    
                                             shall be in Category 341.  
342/642/842...............................  435,133 dozen.              
345.......................................  166,859 dozen.              
347/348...................................  481,848 dozen.              
350/650...................................  156,926 dozen.              
351/651...................................  270,002 dozen.              
363.......................................  4,229,809 numbers.          
435.......................................  15,440 dozen.               
438-W \1\.................................  12,635 dozen.               
442.......................................  18,815 dozen.               
445/446...................................  29,866 dozen.               
604.......................................  1,392,247 kilograms.        
634/635...................................  847,896 dozen.              
638/639...................................  471,904 dozen.              
645/646...................................  382,028 dozen.              
647/648...................................  1,797,782 dozen of which not
                                             more than 1,258,445 dozen  
                                             shall be in Category 647-K 
                                             \2\ and not more than      
                                             1,258,445 dozen shall be in
                                             Category 648-K \3\.        
Group II                                                                
201, 222-224, 239pt. \4\, 332, 352, 359pt.  40,586,900 square meters    
 \5\, 360-362, 369pt. \6\, 400-431, 433,     equivalent.                
 434, 436, 438-O \7\, 440, 443, 444, 447,                               
 448, 459pt. \8\, 464, 469pt. \9\, 600-                                 
 603, 606, 607, 618, 621, 622, 624-629,                                 
 633, 643, 644, 649, 652, 659pt. \10\,                                  
 666, 669pt. \11\, 670, 831, 833, 834,                                  
 836, 838, 840, 843-858 and 859pt. \12\,                                
 as a group.                                                            
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Category 438-W: only HTS numbers 6104.21.0060, 6104.23.0020,        
  6104.29.2051, 6106.20.1010, 6106.20.1020, 6106.90.1010, 6106.90.1020, 
  6106.90.2520, 6106.90.3020, 6109.90.1540, 6109.90.8020, 6110.10.2080, 
  6110.30.1560, 6110.90.9074 and 6114.10.0040.                          
\2\ Category 647-K: only HTS numbers 6103.23.0040, 6103.23.0045,        
  6103.29.1020, 6103.29.1030, 6103.43.1520, 6103.43.1540, 6103.43.1550, 
  6103.43.1570, 6103.49.1020, 6103.49.1060, 6103.49.8014, 6112.12.0050, 
  6112.19.1050, 6112.20,.1060 and 6113.00.9044.                         
\3\ Category 648-K: only HTS numbers 6104.23.0032, 6104.23.0034,        
  6104.29.1030, 6104.29.1040, 6104.29.2038, 6104.63.2006, 6104.63.2011, 
  6104.63.2026, 6104.63.2028, 6104.63.2030, 6104.63.2060, 6104.69.2030, 
  6104.69.2060, 6104.69.8026, 6112.12.0060, 6112.19.1060, 6112.20.1070, 
  6113.00.9052 and 6117.90.9070.                                        
\4\ Category 239pt.: only HTS number 6209.20.5040 (diapers).            
\5\ Category 359pt.: all HTS numbers except 6406.99.1550.               
\6\ Category 369pt.: all HTS numbers except 5601.10.1000, 5601.21.0090, 
  5701.90.1020, 5701.90.2020, 5701.10.9020, 5702.39.2010, 5702.49.1020, 
  5702.49.1080, 5702.59.1000, 5702.99.1010, 5602.99.1090, 5705.00.2020  
  and 6406.10.7700.                                                     
\7\ Category 438-O: only HTS numbers 6103.21.0050, 6103.23.0025,        
  6105.20.1000, 6105.90.1000, 6105.90.8020, 6109.90.1520, 6110.10.2070, 
  6110.30.1550, 6110.90.9072, 6114.10.0020 and 6117.90.9025.            
\8\ Category 459pt.: all HTS numbers except 6405.20.6030, 6405.20.6060, 
  6405.20.6090, 6405.99.1505 and 6406.99.1560.                          
\9\ Category 469pt.: all HTS numbers except 5601.29.0020, 5603.94.1010  
  and 6406.10.9020.                                                     
\10\ Category 659pt.: all HTS numbers except 6406.99.1510 and           
  6406.99.1540.                                                         
\11\ Category 669pt.: all HTS numbers except 5601.10.2000, 5601.22.0090,
  5607.49.3000, 5607.50.4000 and 6406.10.9040.                          

[[Page 67836]]

                                                                        
\12\ Category 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 1997 shall be 
charged to the applicable category limits for that year (see the 
November 4, 1996 directive) 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.
    Products for integration in 1998 listed in the Federal Register 
notice published on May 1, 1995 (60 FR 21075) which are exported 
during 1997 shall be charged to the applicable limits to the extent 
of any unfilled balances. After January 1, 1998, should those 
unfilled balances be exhausted, such products shall no longer be 
charged to any limit, due to integration of these products into GATT 
1994.
    CITA has informed Malaysia of its intent to continue the 
bilateral visa arrangement for those products. An export visa will 
continue to be required, if applicable, for products integrated on 
and after January 1, 1998, before entry is permitted into the United 
States.
    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,
J. Hayden Boyd,
Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile 
Agreements.
[FR Doc. 97-33913 Filed 12-29-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F