IWC DEMARCHE - PERU ON OUR SIDE

UNCLAS LIMA 001885

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

USEU FOR DCM MCKINLEY
DEPT FOR WHA/AND, EPSC AND OES/ETC,ENV
BRASILIA FOR ESTH HUB - J STORY
SAN JOSE FOR ESTH HUB - B LINK
INTERIOR FOR USFWS/R GABEL
OES FOR J FIELDS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV EFIS KSCA PREL IWC ETRD PE
SUBJECT: IWC DEMARCHE - PERU ON OUR SIDE

REF: STATE 56397


1. (U) Summary: ESTHoff discussed Reftel demarche with MFA'S
Director for Maritime Affairs and International Whaling Commission
(IWC) Commissioner Doris Sotomayor on May 21. Peru's dues are paid
up and the GOP aims to keep it that way. Sotomayor will attend the
May IWC meeting; Peru is still solidly with U.S. position on
conservation, and is willing to support U.S. position on Aboriginal
Subsistence Whaling (ASW). Most South American nations just
concluded a meeting on a uniform position in favor of cetacean
conservation, which Peru and others hope will be in the form of a
joint statement by the May 28 IWC meeting. End Summary.


2. (U) ESTHoff discussed Reftel demarche with MFA'S Director for
Maritime Affairs and International Whaling Commission (IWC)
Commissioner Doris Sotomayor on May 21. Also in attendance were
Minister Counselor Liliana Gomez (soon to leave for another
diplomatic posting) and action officer Jorge Garazatua, who will be
first POC for IWC matters for the coming year. Sotomayor will
attend the May IWC meeting in Anchorage, departing on May 25. She
noted that Peru's dues are paid up and that there was broad
agreement among the Presidency and various interested GOP agencies -
IMARPE (marine research agency),the Foreign Ministry and PRODUCE
(the Ministry of Production, under which the Vice Ministry of
Fisheries regulates cetacean issues) - to keep Peru's payment of
dues current.


3. (SBU) Sotomayor said that Peru is still solidly with U.S.
position on conservation of all cetacean species. Whaling, as well
as possession and consumption of cetacean meat are all illegal under
Peruvian domestic law. (Note: GOP National Police, Ecological
Division; PRODUCE; and Foreign Ministry personnel all participated
in recent State-supported conference on Whale/Dolphin conservation
and Tourism promotion. End Note.) Aboriginal subsistence
hunting/fishing rights and needs are important to the GOP, and Peru
is willing to support U.S. position on Aboriginal Subsistence
Whaling (ASW). Sotomayor noted that she thinks it will be a very
close vote on ASW as well as Japan's proposal and she realized the
importance of conservation-minded voting members.


4. (SBU) A number of Latin American nations concluded a meeting May
7 in Santiago on developing a common position on cetacean
conservation. The participating nations included Brazil; Argentina;
Chile (hosting); Peru; Ecuador (Sotomayor not certain); and Costa
Rica and Mexico from outside of South America. Colombia and
Venezuela did not attend, but Sotomayor was not certain if this
reflected an opposing opposition. The participating nations hoped
to deliver a joint Latin American statement on cetacean conservation
at the IWC meeting; now they were vetting the position and proposed
statement with their governments. Sotomayor said that with new IWC
members Ecuador and Costa Rica, who are conservation-minded, and the
Latins efforts to work out a common position, the prospects are
better for successful conservation voting.


5. In the case of Peru, Sotomayor explained that PRODUCE had a few
concerns which the MFA was addressing. She characterized the MFA as
being strongly in favor of conservation while PRODUCE was only
generally in favor of conservation. She noted PRODUCE remains in
favor of a ban on whaling and dolphin hunting in Peruvian waters.
(Note: Peru has a culinary tradition, derived from Japanese
immigrants of dolphin meat -locally called mushame -consumption. A
State/OESI grant supported local NGO Mundo Azul's campaign to train
the National Police Ecological Division and fishermen to enforce
Peruvian prohibitions, reduce dolphin bycatch and channel fishermen
into whale/dolphin watching as an economic activity. Dolphin
consumption has decreased significantly but has not been eradicated.
End Note.)


6. (U) For further information, contact ESTHoff Hal Howard at
howardhh@state.gov or Esteban Sandoval at sandovalej@state.gov.
Starting June 8 fisheries/ESTH officer will be Marcos Mandojana,
mandojanamc@state.gov.
STRUBLE