On July 22, 2004, President Bush signed Executive Order (EO) 13348 which, among other things: (1) prohibits the importation of any round logs or timber products originating in Liberia, and (2) blocks the property and interests in property of certain persons. EO 13348 entered into effect at 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on July 23, 2004.
The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) has issued a notice requesting public comments by August 6, 2004 regarding twelve "commercial availability" petitions it received under the U.S.-Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA) on behalf of Picacho, S.A.:
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a press release announcing that the U.S. has asked the World Trade Organization (WTO) Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) to review whether Japan has complied with earlier DSB recommendations and rulings against its restrictions on imported U.S. apples, as the U.S. does not believe Japan has complied with these recommendations and rulings in a reasonable period of time.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted to its Web site its "critical list" of textiles and apparel subject to import quotas with entered quantities 85% or more filled as of July 20, 2004. CBP states that this "critical list" may be used by CBP as a reference for releasing quota merchandise "off line" when the Automated Commercial System (ACS) is down for longer than four hours. CBP notes that textile and apparel merchandise for Electronic Visa Information System (ELVIS) countries cannot be released "off line" until it is processed through quota. CBP further notes that if the system is down for more than 24 hours, Headquarters Quota Branch should be contacted for further instructions. CBP also states that merchandise subject to tariff-rate quotas (TRQs), which are filled, may be released if entered under the "over quota" (high) rate of duty. (CBP's critical list, dated 07/20/04, available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/import/textiles_and_quotas/textile_critical_list/)
In the July 14, 2004 issue of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Bulletin (CBPBulletin) (Vol. 38, No. 29), CBP issued a notice withdrawing proposed revocations of two classification rulings regarding certain soapstone fireplaces and cookstoves.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued to the ports and posted to its Web site separate instructions regarding (1) the use of visas to make claims for duty-free treatment under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) for qualifying textile and/or apparel articles (textile articles) from Nigeria that are entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after July 14, 2004, and (2) quota reporting for certain apparel articles from Nigeria that are subject to the AGOA aggregate tariff preference level (TPL) and its sublimit.
The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) has issued a notice announcing that on June 28, 2004, it received a request from the Domestic Manufacturers Committee of the Hosiery Association, the American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition, the National Council of Textile Organizations, and the National Textile Association requesting that a textile and apparel safeguard action be taken on imports from China of cotton, wool, and man-made fiber (MMF) socks (cat 332/432 and 632PT (part)).
In the July 14, 2004 issue of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Bulletin (CBPBulletin) (Vol. 38, No. 29), CBP issued notices: (a) revoking a classification ruling on certain chef's coats, and (b) revoking or modifying three classification rulings on upper body garments similar to sleeveless tank styles. CBP states that it is also revoking any treatment it has previously accorded to substantially identical transactions that are contrary to its position in these notices.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued an ABI administrative message announcing that its most recent Harmonized System (HS) update contains:
The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) has issued a notice seeking comments by August 16, 2004 on the commercial availability of certain shirting fabrics in the U.S. or in another of the proposed U.S.-Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) countries (i.e., Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua).