TNAG-1955-FCO40-2784-Trade-of-rare-and-endangered-species-in-Hong-Kong-1989 — Page 139

I AKCISI

DRAFT KONG

I am not sure if he para at X/ adds anything.

PA/Indian

I suggest omitting it. The HK letter dow not aste for compensation. Such a question may will fill to henks, but they in fum could

be within their night to note Hing for compensation for actin

LETTER TO MR HANS K

30 JUN 1989

Thank yo fo

the ecently

U, NATHAN IVORY PALIONY LTD,

wih srospecting made legal tradis illegal.

M

6

HONG

letter of 20 Tune, to the i..ne Minister about

be introduced

n the import of

European Community I have been asked to reply.

nto

the

ti

which

The Covernment does appreciate the difficul

you and other legal traders in ivory now find yourselves

x

25/6

result

of

the

growing pressure to

We

uer:

all

Ivory

products.

AT& aware that many traders co

the CITES controls and only deal in legally ob

ictly

with

It

is,

however,

AS

I

am sure you know,

extremely

difficult

to

distinguish

legally obtained ivory once it has been worked

TOM

legal

and dvarų

31legal

ivory can enter

hrough

this

loophole.

Furthermore, it is clear that existin

rol ander

the

Convention on International Trade in Endangered

Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES),

including the quota system,

not been sufficient to halt a severe decline in the popula

Species of

hav

36 of

the African

ant; T

understand that during the Past

ten

years, numbers nave decreased by 452.

alut

the

The Government have become increasingly concerned

plight of the elephant and now lieve that stronger measure

vital

to

Conserve

Lord

Caithness

visited the species

recently and took the opportunity to discuss the situation

Kenya

with

wildlife exi ets theY• G.

As a result, he annouzzed on 23 May the

Government

view that there was now 4 Case

nsferring the

+