TNAG-2129-FCO40-3044-Hong-Kong-and-the-ivory-trade-1990 — Page 108

CHRIST

HRDY

GPS

FCS/90/003

HKCISI1*

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

My !!!!

PS/Mrs Chalker

PS/Mr. Waldegrave

17 JAN 1990 Mio Marsion

DESK OFFICER-

INDEX

REGISTRY

รว

unl! PS/M maude

tony MrHolroyd

Wil

SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

Hong Kong and the Ivory Trade

Mr Gillmore

Mr Bayne

Mr McLaren

Mr Beetnam-MAED Mr Bums, NEWS Miss Barrett- Legal

Advisers

Mr Lidington

You will

1. Thank you for your letter of 18 December. also have seen Charles Powell's letter of 19 December to my Private Secretary.

2. I appreciate the difficulties from your point of view. But I believe the arguments for helping Hong Kong are compelling. The key point is that Hong Kong is prepared to ban all trade in ivory, despite the importance of the industry in the territory. This is a significant and substantial step forward. What I propose is not a major concession to Hong Kong. It is simply a reasonable breathing space to enable Hong Kong to adapt to the CITES ban as it intends to do. Without the breathing space the Hong Kong legislative are likely to refuse to adopt the legislation so we and the elephants

would be worse off.

11/1

3. We have a duty to act on Hong Kong's behalf because Hong Kong is unable to enter a reservation itself. In order to discharge this responsibility, and so as to avoid the UK being in breach of its international legal obligations under the CITES Covention, I continue to believe that we must arrange for a suitable reservation to be entered before 18 January. It would last for six months and would cover Hong Kong only.

/4.