licences are issued for exports to countries which have implemented the CITES ban.
These thorough and comprehensive measures are clear and reassuring evidence of the Hong Kong Government's firm intention to adhere fully to CITES.
Allowing Hong Kong to continue to trade its legally-acquired ivory for a limited period will not create a threat to living elephants because imports are already banned. It would make no sense to attempt to import ivory illegally into Hong Kong where there is already a large stock of legal ivory, a small domestic market, and a small number of export outlets.
Both the British Government and Hong Kong remain fully committed to the conservation of endangered species and to CITES itself. We would not have entered the Reservation if we believed that by doing so we were putting at risk the future of the African elephant.
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The Rt Hon William Waldegrave
The Rt Hon Margaret Thatcher MP
House of Commons
LONDON
SW1A OAA
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