RESTRICTED
RESTRICTED
FM UKMIS GENEVA
TO DESKBY 1711OOZ FCO
TELNO 637
OF 170951Z OCTOBER 1989
AND TO DESKBY 17110OZ UKDEL KUALA LUMPUR
FROM UK DELEGATION TO CITES
sılı
HKC151
(276
062712
MDHIAN 0209
17-110
ROUND-UP: 16 OCTOBER
SUMMARY
1. COMMITTEE I VOTES FOR APPENDIX I LISTING OF WFRICAN ELEPHANT THROUGHOUT AFRICA WITH PROVISION FOR THOSE STATES ABLE TO PROVE THEIR POPULATIONS ARE CAPABLE OF EXPLOITATION TO APPLY AT NEXT CITES CONFERENCE TO HAVE THEM DOWNGRADED TO APPENDIX II. UK, EC PARTNERS AND US VOTE IN FAVOUR. FIVE AFRICAN COUNTRIES SUBSEQUENTLY THREATEN TO ENTER RESERVATIONS.
DETAIL
2. COMMITTEE I'S PROCEEDINGS FOR AFTERNOON OF 16 OCTOBER STARTED WITH SCIENTIFIC OPINION FROM WWF ON STATUS OF AFRICAN ELEPHANT THROUGHOUT CONTINENT. WWF BELIEVES THAT, IN CENTRAL AFRICA, ELEPHANT IS ENDANGERED IN EQUATORIAL GUINEA, ZAIRE, CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC AND POSSIBLY IN CAMEROON AND CONGO, BUT NOT IN GABON. IN SOUTHERN AFRICA THEY SAY ELEPHANT IS ENDANGERED IN ZAMBIA AND MOZAMBIQUE, BUT NOT IN ZIMBABWE, BOTSWANA, SOUTH AFRICA AND NAMIBIA. SIMON LYSTER OF WWF THEN MADE AN IMPASSIONED PLEA FOR THOSE COUNTRIES WHO HAD MANAGEABLE ELEPHANT POPULATIONS, SUCH AS ZIMBABWE, TO ACCEPT A MORATORIUM UNTIL THE NEXT CITES CONFERENCE - AS PROPOSED IN THE SOMALI AMENDED PROPOSAL · IN THE INTERESTS OF THE ELEPHANT THROUGHOUT AFRICA. AFTER HEARING FURTHER PRESENTATIONS FROM SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL AFRICAN COUNTRIES WHO DISPUTED THE WWF SCIENTIFIC OPINION (EG CAMEROON AND SOUTH AFRICA) CHAIRMAN PUT THE ISSUE TO A VOTE. A PRELIMINARY CARD VOTE ON WHETHER OR NOT THE BALLOT SHOULD BE SECRET WAS DEFEATED WITH THE UK JOINING THOSE WHO VOTED FOR AN
OPEN BALLOT..
3. THE COMMITTEE HAD BEFORE IT FOUR SEPARATE PROPOSALS ON WHICH TO VOTE. A TWO-THIRDS MAJORITY WAS REQUIRED FOR A PROPOSAL
TO BE ACCEPTED. THE FIRST, A ZIMBABWE PROPOSAL ON SPLIT LISTING FOR
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