[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 176 (Tuesday, September 13, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-22642]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: September 13, 1994]
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COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS
Establishment of a New Export Visa Arrangement for Certain
Cotton, Wool, Man-Made Fiber, Silk-blend and Non-Cotton Vegetable Fiber
Textiles and Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in Laos
September 8, 1994.
AGENCY: Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA).
ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs establishing
export visa requirements.
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EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 1994.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Tallarico, International
Trade Specialist, Office of Textiles and Apparel, U.S. Department of
Commerce, (202) 482-4212.
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 Governments of the United States and the Lao People's
Democratic Republic reached agreement, effected by exchange of notes
dated November 8, 1993, to establish an export visa arrangement for
certain cotton, wool, man-made fiber, silk-blend and non-cotton
vegetable fiber textiles and textile products, produced or manufactured
in the Lao People's Democratic Republic and exported from the Lao
People's Democratic Republic on and after October 1, 1994. Goods
exported during the period October 1, 1994 through October 15, 1994
shall not be denied entry for lack of a visa. All goods exported after
October 15, 1994 must be accompanied by an appropriate export visa.
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 58 FR 62645, published on November 29, 1993).
Interested persons are advised to take all necessary steps to
ensure that textile products that are entered into the United States
for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, will meet
the visa requirements set forth in the letter published below to the
Commissioner of Customs.
D. Michael Hutchinson,
Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile
Agreements.
Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements
September 8, 1994.
Commissioner of Customs,
Department of the Treasury, Washington, DC 20229.
Dear Commissioner: Under the terms of section 204 of the
Agricultural Act of 1956, as amended (7 U.S.C. 1854), and the
Arrangement Regarding International Trade in Textiles done at Geneva
on December 20, 1973, as further extended on December 9, 1993;
pursuant to the Visa Arrangement of November 8, 1993, between the
Governments of the United States and the Lao People's Democratic
Republic; and in accordance with the provisions of Executive Order
11651 of March 3, 1972, as amended, you are directed to prohibit,
effective on October 1, 1994, entry into the Customs territory of
the United States (i.e., the 50 states, the District of Columbia and
the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico) for consumption and withdrawal from
warehouse for consumption of cotton, wool, man-made fiber, silk-
blend, and non-cotton vegetable fiber textiles and textile products
in Categories 200-239, 300-369, 400-469, 600-670, and 800-899,
including merged and part categories, produced or manufactured in
the Lao People's Democratic Republic and exported from the Lao
People's Democratic Republic on and after October 1, 1994 for which
the Government of the Lao People's Democratic Republic has not
issued an appropriate export visa fully described below. Should
additional categories, merged categories or part categories be added
to the bilateral agreement, the entire category(s) or part
category(s) shall be included in the coverage of this arrangement on
an agreed effective date. Goods exported during the period October
1, 1994 through October 15, 1994 shall not be denied entry for lack
of a visa.
A visa must accompany each commercial shipment of the
aforementioned textile products. A circular stamped marking in blue
ink will appear on the front of the original commercial invoice. The
original visa shall not be stamped on duplicate copies of the
invoice. The original invoice with the original visa stamp will be
required to enter the shipment into the United States. Duplicates of
the invoice and/or visa may not be used for this purpose.
Each visa stamp shall include the following information:
1. The visa number. The visa number shall be in the standard
nine digit letter format, beginning with one numerical digit for the
last digit of the year of export, followed by the two character
alpha country code specified by the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO)(the code for the Lao People's Democratic
Republic is ``LA''), and a six digit numerical serial number
identifying the shipment; e.g., 4LA123456.
2. The date of issuance. The date of issuance shall be the day,
month and year on which the visa was issued.
3. The signature and the printed name of the issuing official.
4. The correct category(s), merged category(s), part
category(s), quantity(s) and unit(s) of quantity in the shipment as
set forth in the U.S. Department of Commerce Correlation (e.g.,
``Cat. 340-510 DOZ'').
Quantities must be stated in whole numbers. Decimals or
fractions will not be accepted. Merged category quota merchandise
may be accompanied by either the appropriate merged category visa or
the correct category visa corresponding to the actual shipment
(e.g., Categories 347/348 may be visaed as 347/348 or if the
shipment consists solely of 347 merchandise, the shipment may be
visaed as ``Cat. 347,'' but not as ``Cat. 348'').
U.S. Customs shall not permit entry if the shipment does not
have a visa, or if the visa number, date of issuance, signature,
printed name of signer, category, quantity or units of quantity are
missing, incorrect or illegible, or have been crossed out or altered
in any way. If the quantity indicated on the visa is less than that
of the shipment, entry shall not be permitted. If the quantity
indicated on the visa is more than that of the shipment, entry shall
be permitted and only the amount entered shall be charged to any
applicable quota.
The complete name and address of a company actually involved in
the manufacturing process of the textile product covered by the visa
shall be provided on the textile visa document.
If the visa is not acceptable then a new visa must be obtained
from the Government of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, or a
visa waiver may be issued by the U.S. Department of Commerce at the
request of the Government of Lao People's Democratic Republic, and
presented to the U.S. Customs Service before any portion of the
shipment will be released. The waiver, if used, only waives the
requirement to present a visa with the shipment. It does not waive
the quota requirement.
If import quotas are in force, U.S. Customs Service shall charge
only the actual quantity in the shipment to the correct category
limit. If a shipment from Laos has been allowed entry into the
commerce of the United States with either an incorrect visa or no
visa, and redelivery is requested but cannot be made, U.S. Customs
shall charge the shipment to the correct category limit whether or
not a replacement visa or visa waiver is provided.
Merchandise imported for the personal use of the importer and
not for resale, regardless of value, and properly marked commercial
sample shipments valued at U.S.$250 or less, do not require a visa
for entry.
A facsimile of the visa stamp is enclosed with this letter.
The actions taken concerning the Government of the Lao People's
Democratic Republic with respect to imports of textiles and textile
products in the foregoing categories have been determined by the
Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements to involve
foreign affairs functions of the United States. Therefore, these
directions to the Commissioner of Customs, which are necessary for
the implementation of such actions, fall within the foreign affairs
exception to the rulemaking provisions of 5 U.S.C. 553(a)(1). This
letter will be published in the Federal Register.
Sincerely,
D. Michael Hutchinson,
Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile
Agreements.
TN13SE94.002
[FR Doc. 94-22642 Filed 9-12-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F
