CONFIDENTIAL
FM FCO
TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
TELNO 221
OF 231845Z JANUARY 90
CONFIDENTIAL
HKCISI
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
29 JAN 1990
DESK OFFICER
INDEX
REGISTRY
Action Taken
51
045260
MDHOAN 1708
TOP COPY DIST
YOUR TELNO 288: HONG KONG AND THE IVORY TRADE: POS
1.
WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THE MATERIAL IN TUR. BUT BEFORE WE FINALISE OUR REPLIES TO THESE PQS, THERE ARE SEVERAL FURTHER POINTS WE NEED TO CLARIFY
2. ON THE QUESTION OF WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO RESIDUAL STOCKS ONCE THE SIX MONTHS RESERVATION EXPIRES, WE WOULD LIKE TO STRENGTHEN THE SUGGESTED REPLY IN PARA 1(A) OF TUR AS FOLLOWS
QUOTE UNDER THE CITES BAN, ALL EXPORTS OF IVORY WILL CEASE. ANY IVORY NOT DISPOSED OF BY THE END OF THE 6 MONTHS EXEMPTION PERIOD COULD NOT BE LEGALLY EXPORTED AS NO LICENCE FOR THIS WOULD BE
ISSUED BY THE HONG KONG AUTHORITIES. IT WILL BE UP TO THE
TRADERS THEMSELVES TO DECIDE WHAT TO DO WITH ANY RESIDUAL STOCKS THAT THEY MIGHT POSSESS. UNQUOTE
3. SINCE WE CAN EXPECT FURTHER PROBING QUESTIONS ON THIS SUBJECT, IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO KNOW
(A) WHETHER IVORY WILL CONTINUE TO BE ON SALE IN HONG KONG WHEN
THE SIX MONTHS RESERVATION EXPIRES
(B) SINCE TOURIST PURCHASES WILL BE BANNED UNDER CITES RULES, WHAT MEASURES DO YOU PROPOSE TO TAKE TO PREVENT SALES TO VISITORS TO HONG KONG.
4. ON THE QUESTION OF WHETHER ALL THE CURRENT IVORY STOCKS WERE
LEGALLY ACQUIRED, IT IS NOT CLEAR FROM THE DRAFT REPLY WHY SOME TRADERS DO NOT HAVE CITES PAPERS FOR THEIR STOCKS AND HOW MUCH THESE STOCKS AMOUNT TO. IN VIEW OF THE BACKGROUND MATERIAL IN PARA 4 OF TUR, WE WOULD PREFER TO EXPAND THE REPLY IN PARA 1 (F) AS FOLLOWS
QUOTE THE HONG KONG AUTHORITIES HAVE INSPECTED ALL THE IVORY STOCKS IN THE TERRITORY. X TONS HAVE CITES CERTIFICATES AND ONLY THESE STOCKS CAN BE EXPORTED IN THE EXEMPTION PERIOD. THE REST, SOME Y TONS, IS BELIEVED TO BE IVORY ACQUIRED BEFORE THE CITES
CONTROLS WERE IMPOSED IN 1986. THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT THEY WERE ILLEGALLY ACQUIRED. HOWEVER NO STOCKS CAN BE EXPORTED WITHOUT CITES CERTIFICATES. UNQUOTE
+
5. AS FOR THE EXACT SIZE OF THE CURRENT IVORY STOCK, WE WERE CONCERNED TO SEE THAT THE FIGURES IN PARA 1(G) ARE VERY MUCH LOWER THAN ORIGINALLY ESTIMATED. WE UNDERSTAND FROM THE BREAKDOWN FAXED TO US BY CLARK THAT SOME 50 TONNES HAVE BEEN
PAGE
1
CONFIDENTIAL
Page 45Page 46