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