TNAG-1955-FCO40-2784-Trade-of-rare-and-endangered-species-in-Hong-Kong-1989 — Page 196

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1. Urgent action needed to try to minimise the threat to the elephant while a long term strategy for its future survival is

worked out.

2. We recognise that this is a difficult and complicated issue, and will play a full part in the discussions at the forthcoming CITES Conference.

3. The Hong Kong Government share our concern and have imposed a ban on further imports of raw ivory pending the outcome of the

CITES Conference.

4. We will consider requests from African countries for assistance in combating poaching, but the initiative must come from them.

5.

The UK Government has provided 3 expatriate staff and 19 lorries to assist the conservation efforts of the Kenyan Wildlife

Department.

6.

We have supported the establishment of the CITES ivory quota

system and have provided £5,000 per annum towards the cost of running the CITES Ivory Trade Monitoring Unit.

7. I cannot discuss the detail of individual cases, but we

would not have allowed the import of raw ivory unless we were satisfied that it was strictly in accordance with the rules in operation at the time (if asked about alleged irregularities in some recent imports of ivory to the UK).