RESTRICTED
FM FCO
TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
TELNO 1649
OF 031015Z AUGUST 89
INFO ROUTINE UKREP BRUSSELS
RESTRICTED
HKC 151/1
[alu+PA (207)
000623
MDHOAN 6019
R
}
187
го
YOUR TELNOS 2502 AND 2568: EC CITES MEETING 27/28 JULY 1989
1.
AT THEIR CITES MEETING ON 27/28 JULY, EC MEMBER STATES AGREED
BY QUALIFIED MAJORITY ON A DRAFT EC REGULATION BANNING THE ISSUE OF IMPORT PERMITS FOR RAW AND WORKED IVORY DERIVED FROM THE
AFRICAN ELEPHANT. THE COMMISSIONERS AGREED THE REGULATION ON
2 AUGUST. NO FIRM DATE HAS BEEN FIXED FOR IMPLEMENTATION BUT IT SEEMS LIKELY TO COME INTO FORCE TOWARDS THE MIDDLE OF THIS MONTH. IMPORT PERMITS WILL ONLY BE ISSUED IN EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES, WHICH ARE LISTED IN PARA 4. OUR EFFORTS TO SECURE SPECIAL
EXCEPTIONS FOR HONG KONG WERE NOT SUCCESSFUL.
2.
IN ARGUING HONG KONG'S CASE THE UK REPRESENTATIVE AT THE MEETING (FOLLAND FROM DOE, BRISTOL) DEPLOYED THE POINTS CONTAINED IN THE HONG KONG AGRICULTURAL AND FISHERIES DEPARTMENT'S LETTER OF 16 JUNE. HE STRESSED THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT'S COMMITMENT TO THE CONSERVATION OF ENDANGERED SPECIES, THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO DEPENDED ON THE IVORY TRADE AND THE DIFFICULTY IN RE-DEPLOYING THE OLDER CARVERS TRADE. HE ALSO REFERRED TO THE MEASURES TAKEN TO REGISTER AND MARK IVORY, AND THE FORMATION OF THE TASK FORCE TO CRACK DOWN ON ILLEGAL TRADE. BUT THE COMMITTEE WERE NOT DISPOSED TO ALLOW HONG KONG IVORY TO RE-ENTER THE COMMUNITY. NEITHER WERE THEY SWAYED BY THE ARGUMENT THAT THE COMMUNITY WAS
ACTING ILLOGICALLY AND IN A DISCRIMINATORY FASHION IN THE COURTS ON THEIR DECISION TO ALLOW SOME RE-IMPORTS OF IVORY, ALBEIT IN THE SHAPE OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, FROM NON-EC COUNTRIES BUT NOT THE RE-IMPORT OF OTHER LEGAL IVORY WHICH HAD AT ONE TIME MOVED
THROUGH THE COMMUNITY. THE DETAIL OF THE DISCUSSION IS CONFIDENTIAL BUT FOR YOUR OWN INFORMATION THE FRG (PERHAPS SURPRISINGLY IN VIEW OF THEIR KNOWN RESERVATIONS ON THE STATUS OF SOME OF THE IVORY IN HONG KONG) WENT ALONG WITH THE UK: DENMARK HOWEVER, SPOKE AGAINST THE PROPOSAL AND HAD THE SYMPATHY OF THE COMMISSION WHO WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THE SCALE 100 TONNES OF POTENTIAL IMPORTS. FRANCE EXPRESSED DOUBTS ABOUT THE LEGALITY
OF ALL HONG KONG IVORY. NO-ONE ELSE SPOKE IN FAVOUR OF THE HONG
KONG CASE.
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