sanctuary project, for a population of unknown viability. We also feel
that the project pays no attention to the need to raise local awareness
of the importance of conservation. Mr Faith is planning to visit
Tanzania during the summer to discuss the project. He has asked Sir
Geoffrey Howe for advice on the contacts he should make there. A
submission will follow shortly. At present, there has been no request
to HMG for aid funding.
14. Two other points may be raised. The first concerns the rumoured
provision of SAS training to Kenya to help with anti-poaching efforts.
This arose from a story in the Sunday Telegraph on 4 June, following
comments from Mr Tony Banks MP in the House of Commons debate on African
elephants on 26 May, when he suggested that it would be a good use of
SAS manpower. There is no truth in the story.
15. The second is the provision of a "Spectre aircraft, also to Kenya.
This was the subject of an article in the Sunday Express on 11 June. We
are not aware who is offering the aircraft to Kenya but, according to
the article, it was the idea of a Mr Stuart Brown, adviser to the Kent
Export Centre. ODA has not been consulted or involved at all. We are
asking BHC Nairobi to find out what offer was made and the Kenyan
reaction, and BDDEA to consider in the light of that reaction whether
provision of such aircraft is something we should consider as part of
our assistance package.
16.
We are increasingly being urged by the Americans, NGOS and others
to impose environmental conditions on our programmes. Like the
Brundtland Commission, and other European donors, we favour an approach
based not on conditionality but on building developing country capacity
to understand the need for an implement environmental safeguards in
programmes and policies. It is only against a background of institution
building that effective environmental safeguards can be agreed for
individual projects. We also share the Commission's concern that