CONFIDENTIAL
311
163231
MDHIAN 3760
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO DESKBY 09090OZ FCO
TELNO 3724
OF 090815Z NOVEMBER 89
HKCISI
JPY
Q DIST?
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON
PERSONAL FOR PAUL, HKD FROM GOVERNOR
MY TELNO 3706: CITES AND THE IVORY TRADE
·
1 I HOPE THIS SUBJECT IS BEING GIVEN THE POLITICAL ATTENTION IT DESERVES.
2. HONG KONG HAS PARTICIPATED IN CITES AND APPLIED ALL ITS DECISIONS. BUT WE CAN ONLY FORMALLY TAKE PART THROUGH THE UK UMBRELLA. IF WE HAVE A POINT TO MAKE, WE CAN THEREFORE ONLY DO SO AS A MEMBER OF THE UK DELEGATION DURING A MEETING, OR ACTING THROUGH THE GOOD OFFICES OF HMG BETWEEN MEETINGS. I ASSUME THE SAME IS TRUE OF OTHER DEPENDENT TERRITORIES IF THEY APPLY THE CITES CONVENTION.
3. I AM NOT CLEAR ON WHAT GROUNDS HMG MIGHT DECIDE NOT/NOT TO FORWARD TO THE CITES SECRETARIAT THE ENTERING OF A RESERVATION RELATING ONLY TO HONG KONG, IF HONG KONG HAS FORMALLY ASKED THAT SUCH ACTION SHOULD BE TAKEN. THE SITUATION IS SIMILAR TO ARRANGEMENTS IN THE GATT BEFORE HONG KONG WAS DEEMED TO BE A SEPARATE CONTRACTING PARTY IE THE UK WOULD ACT, OR SPEAK, ON BEHALF OF HONG KONG EVEN IF, ON A PARTICULAR POLICY ISSUE, HMG'S OWN VIEWS MIGHT BE DIFFERENT.
4. THERE IS A FURTHER POLITICAL POINT. HONG KONG NOW HOLDS OVER 600 TONS OF IVORY LEGALLY ACQUIRED IN CONFORMITY WITH CITES PROVISIONS. THE VALUE BEFORE THE BAN WAS SOME 1 BILLION HONG KONG DOLLARS (83 MILLION POUNDS STERLING). WE WILL COME UNDER STRONG PRESSURE FROM THE IVORY TRADERS TO COMPENSATE THEM FOR THE LOSS OF VALUE OF THEIR STOCKS ON THE GROUNDS THAT, BY ADHERING TO THE LATEST CITES AGREEMENT THE HKG HAS ACTED TO DESTROY THEIR VALUE WHEN IT COULD HAVE ENTERED A PERMANENT RESERVATION IN THE SAME WAY AS SOME SOUTHERN AFRICAN COUNTRIES ARE APPARENTLY INTENDING TO DO. WE CAN, TO SOME EXTENT, DEFLECT THIS PRESSURE BY ENTERING A 6 MONTHS RESERVATION, EVEN THOUGH I WOULD EXPECT THE IVORY TRADERS TO PERSIST WITH ATTEMPTS TO RECOUP THEIR LOSSES. HOWEVER IF HMG SHOULD REFUSE TO ACT ON HONG KONG'S BEHALF IN ENTERING A RESERVATION, THE DEMAND FOR COMPENSATION WOULD BE TRANSFERRED TO YOU.
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