FLC OF B737-400 MISSES XING RESTR ATTEMPTING TO FOLLOW CONFUSING CLRNC ON ARR TO IAH.

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FLT XYZ ARRIVING GEORGE BUSH INTL ARPT VIA DAISETTA ARR. CTR CLRS US TO CROSS DAISETTA VOR AT 10000 FT VIA STAR. AT 13000 FT AND APPROX 10 NM FROM DAISETTA; CTR GIVES US TO APCH CTLR. FIRST XMISSION FROM APCH CTL IS 'SLOW IMMEDIATELY TO 210 KTS; THEN DSND TO 7000 FT. I SLOWED TO 210 KTS AS INSTRUCTED AND IN THE PROCESS; CROSSED DAISETTA VOR AT 11300 FT. APCH ASKED US WHAT OUR ALT WAS AND WHAT WAS THE LAST XING RESTR WE HAD FROM CTR. SINCE I WAS SO CLOSE TO DAISETTA; IT WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE IF APCH CTL COULD HAVE TOLD US TO SLOW TO 210 KTS AFTER XING THE VOR. BUT SINCE I WAS INSTRUCTED TO SLOW IMMEDIATELY AND THEN DSND TO A NEW ALT; I THOUGHT IT PREEMPTED THE PREVIOUS XING RESTR. ALL OF OUR STAR DSCNTS ARE PREDICATED ON A CERTAIN AIRSPD AND A CERTAIN DSCNT POINT. WHEN APCH CTL SLOWS US AND GIVES US A NEW ALT; IT WOULD BE NICE IF THEY REITERATED THE XING RESTR IF THEY NEED IT. IE; 'SLOW NOW TO 210 KTS; CROSS DAISETTA AT 10000 FT THEN DSND MAINTAIN 7000 FT.' IN AIM; SECTION 4; ARR PROCS; PARAGRAPH 5-4-1A(2)(A); IT STATES: 'ADHERENCE TO PUBLISHED ALT XING RESTRS AND SPDS IS MANDATORY UNLESS OTHERWISE CLRED.'