TNAG-1957-FCO40-2786-Hong-Kong-Animals-and-Plants-(Protection-of-Endangered-Speci-1989 — Page 94

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DRAFT SUBMISSION ON HONG KONG IVORY STOCKS

1.

Thank you for sending us a copy of your draft submission to Ministers on Hong Kong's request for either a compensation fund or a 6-month reservation.

2.

MAED can agree to your line on the compensation fund but, as I mentioned to Mr Holroyd last week, we have strong reservations about making any request to the Secretary of State for the Environment for the entering of a six-month reservation on behalf of Hong Kong. I should be grateful therefore if you could make this clear in para 2 of your draft. My detailed comments below on the draft submission will make clear why we take this position.

3.

Comments:

para 6

This should say something like 'DOE and FCO Ministers agreed before the Conference that the UK would abstain on the vote on trade in existing stocks, and both the Foreign Secretary and the Prime Minister confirmed during the Conference that we ✔ should stick to that line despite active lobbying from the DOE

for a change to a vote against trade and therefore against Hong Kong's interests'.

para 7b

A number of NGOs told me at the CITES conference that although they had sympathy with HMG's dilemma over Hong Kong, the traders could hardly claim that the ban was a surprise and they should have taken action before it was too late.

para 8

I suggest amending from sentence 4 to read 'But in view of the substantial majority at the CITES Conference against trade in existing stocks there is no reason to suppose that other CITES parties would be willing to contribute to a fund primarily for Hong Kong's purpose, particularly as the Hong Kong Government No has itself declined to contribute. If the UK were to take the

lead in calling for such a fund we would no doubt have to be prepared to contribute to it. Furthermore, this could lead to calls for compensation for those Southern African states who have been deprived of revenue from new ivory as a result of the CITES decision'.