HMG RESPONSE TO INTERNATIONAL WHALING COMMISSION

C O N F I D E N T I A L LONDON 001666 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR OES/OA JOHN FIELD E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/02/2012 TAGS: SENV EFIS KSCA PREL IWC ETRD UK SUBJECT: HMG RESPONSE TO INTERNATIONAL WHALING COMMISSION DEMARCHE REF: A. STATE 56397 ¶B. PATON - OES/OA JOHN FIELD 5/1/2007 TELCON Classified By: EST Counselor William R. Meara for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). (C) ESTOff delivered ref A demarche on May 2, 2007 to Richard Cowan, UK Commissioner to the International Whaling Commission (IWC). In response to ref B question of blocking adoption of other aboriginal subsistence whaling (ASW) quotas if the bowhead whale quota is blocked by the other side, Cowan told ESTOff this question should not arise if the anti-whalers can command sufficient of a majority to keep the ASW quotas together as a single package. Cowan said in the unlikely event that the package is broken up, we will use our (minority) vote to block the adoption of the remaining ASW quotas. Cowan stated that if the use of such a threat was needed, and it were not both made explicit and real, the chances of avoiding the blockage of the adoption of the bowhead quota would be slim indeed. However, Cowan doubts that it will come to that as we should be able to hold the ASW package together. Visit London's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/london/index. cfm Johnson