Announcement of Import Limits for Certain Wool Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

AGENCY:

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA).

ACTION:

Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs establishing limits.

EFFECTIVE DATE:

January 1, 2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Naomi Freeman, 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, call (202) 927-5850, or refer to the U.S. Customs website at http://www.customs.gov. 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 Bilateral Textile Agreement of November 7, 1997, as amended and extended by exchange of notes on June 22, 2000 and July 5, 2000, between the Governments of the United States and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia establishes limits for certain wool textile products, produced or manufactured in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and exported during the period January 1, 2001 through December 31, 2001.

These limits do not apply to goods entered under the Outward Processing Program, as defined in the notice and letter to the Commissioner of Customs published in the Federal Register on December 14, 1999 (see 64 FR 69746).

In the letter published below, the Chairman of CITA directs the Commissioner of Customs to establish the 2001 limits.

These limits may be revised if the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia becomes a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the United States applies the WTO agreement to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

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 64 FR 71982, published on December 22, 1999). Information regarding the 2001 CORRELATION will be published in the Federal Register at a later date.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements

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 Bilateral Textile Agreement of November 7, 1997, as amended and extended by exchange of notes on June 22, 2000 and July 5, 2000, between the Governments of the United States and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, you are directed to prohibit, effective on January 1, 2001, entry into the United States for consumption and withdrawal from warehouse for consumption of wool textile products in the following categories, produced or manufactured in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and exported during the period beginning on January 1, 2001 and extending through December 31, 2001, in excess of the following levels of restraint:

The limits set forth above are subject to adjustment pursuant to the current bilateral agreement between the Governments of the United States and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. These limits do not apply to products entered under the Outward Processing Program.

Products in the above categories exported during 2000 shall be charged to the applicable category limits for that year (see directive dated December 14, 1999) 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.

These limits do not apply to goods entered under the Outward Processing Program, as defined in the letter to the Commissioner of Customs, dated December 8, 1999 (see 64 FR 69746).

These limits may be revised if the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia becomes a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the United States applies the WTO agreement to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

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,