95-9906. Request for Public Comments on Bilateral Textile Consultations on Cotton and Man-Made Fiber Underwear  

  • [Federal Register Volume 60, Number 77 (Friday, April 21, 1995)]
    [Notices]
    [Page 19891]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 95-9906]
    
    
    
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    COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS
    
    Request for Public Comments on Bilateral Textile Consultations on 
    Cotton and Man-Made Fiber Underwear
    
    April 17, 1995.
    AGENCY: Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA).
    
    ACTION: Notice.
    
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    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anne Novak (Costa Rica, Turkey), 
    Jennifer Tallarico (Dominican Republic), Jennifer Aldrich (Honduras) 
    and Ross Arnold (Thailand), International Trade Specialists, Office of 
    Textiles and Apparel, U.S. Department of Commerce, (202) 482-4212. For 
    information on categories for which consultations have been requested, 
    call (202) 482-3740.
    
    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).
    
        Under the terms of Article 6 of the Uruguay Round Agreement on 
    Textiles and Clothing (ATC) and the Uruguay Round Agreements Act, the 
    Government of the United States requested consultations with the 
    Governments of Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Turkey and 
    Thailand with respect to cotton and man-made fiber underwear in 
    Categories 352/652. On March 29, 1995, CITA dropped its request for 
    consultations with Thailand on Categories 352/652 that was made on 
    November 28, 1994 (see 60 FR 2081, published on January 6, 1995) and 
    recalled under Article 6 of the ATC.
        The purpose of this notice is to advise the public that, if no 
    solution is agreed upon in consultations with the Governments of Costa 
    Rica, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Turkey and Thailand, the 
    Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements may later 
    establish a limit for the entry and withdrawal from warehouse for 
    consumption of cotton and man-made fiber textile products in Categories 
    352/652, produced or manufactured in the aforementioned countries and 
    exported during the following twelve-month periods, beginning on the 
    date of the request for consultations, at levels of not less than the 
    specified amounts:
    
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Restraint period                     Restraint level          
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Costa Rica                                                              
    March 27, 1995-March 26, 1996......  14,423,178 dozen.                  
    Dominican Republic                                                      
    March 27, 1995-March 26, 1996......  16,442,148 dozen.                  
    Honduras                                                                
    March 27, 1995-March 26, 1996......  6,550,810 dozen.                   
    Turkey                                                                  
    March 28, 1995-March 27, 1996......  1,291,118 dozen.                   
    Thailand                                                                
    March 29, 1995-March 28, 1996......  1,586,005 dozen.                   
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
        A statement of serious damage concerning Categories 352/652 follows 
    this notice.
        Anyone wishing to comment or provide data or information regarding 
    the treatment of Categories 352/652, or to comment on domestic 
    production or availability of products included in Categories 352/652, 
    is invited to submit 10 copies of such comments or information to Rita 
    D. Hayes, Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile 
    Agreements, U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, DC 20230; ATTN: 
    Helen L. LeGrande. The comments received will be considered in the 
    context of the consultations with the Governments of Costa Rica, the 
    Dominican Republic, Honduras, Turkey and Thailand.
        Because the exact timing of the consultations is not yet certain, 
    comments should be submitted promptly. Comments or information 
    submitted in response to this notice will be available for public 
    inspection in the Office of Textiles and Apparel, room H3100, U.S. 
    Department of Commerce, 14th and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, 
    DC.
        Further comments may be invited regarding particular comments or 
    information received from the public which the Committee for the 
    Implementation of Textile Agreements considers appropriate for further 
    consideration.
        The solicitation of comments regarding any aspect of the agreement 
    or the implementation thereof is not a waiver in any respect of the 
    exemption contained in 5 U.S.C. 553(a)(1) relating to matters which 
    constitute ``a foreign affairs function of the United States.''
        The United States remains committed to finding a solution 
    concerning Categories 352/652. Should such a solution be reached in 
    consultations with the Governments of Costa Rica, the Dominican 
    Republic, Honduras, Turkey and Thailand, further notice will be 
    published in the Federal Register.
        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 59 FR 65531, published on December 20, 1994).
    Rita D. Hayes,
    Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.
    
    Statement of Serious Damage
    Cotton and Manmade Fiber Underwear--Category 352/652
        The sharp and substantial increase in imports of cotton and manmade 
    fiber underwear, Category 352/652, is causing serious damage to the 
    U.S. industry producing cotton and manmade fiber underwear.
        Category 352/652 imports surged from 65,507,000 dozen in 1992 to 
    79,962,000 dozen in 1993, a 22 percent increase. Cotton and manmade 
    fiber underwear imports, Category 352/652, continued to increase in 
    1994, reaching 97,375,000 dozen, 22 percent above the 1993 level and 49 
    percent above the level imported in 1992.
        Serious damage to the domestic industry resulting from the sharp 
    and substantial increase in imports of cotton and manmade fiber 
    underwear is attributed to imports from the Dominican Republic, Costa 
    Rica, Honduras, Thailand and Turkey\1\. The combination of high import 
    levels, surging imports, and low priced goods from these countries have 
    resulted in loss of domestic output, market share, investment, 
    employment, and man-hours worked.
    
        \1\El Salvador and Colombia called under domestic legal 
    authority. They are not WTO members.
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        Total imports from the five countries listed above increased from 
    22,675,508 dozen in 1992 to 40,293,259 dozen in 1994, a sharp and 
    substantial increase of 78 percent. As a group their imports were up 32 
    percent in 1994 over their 1993 level. Together their 1992 imports were 
    35 percent of total Category 352/652 imports. Their share of total 
    category imports increased to 41 percent in 1994. Their 1994 imports 
    were 24.5 percent of total U.S. production of cotton and manmade fiber 
    underwear in the year ending September 1994.
    
    [FR Doc.95-9906 Filed 4-20-95; 8:45 am]
    BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F
    
    

Document Information

Published:
04/21/1995
Department:
Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements
Entry Type:
Notice
Action:
Notice.
Document Number:
95-9906
Pages:
19891-19891 (1 pages)
PDF File:
95-9906.pdf