SPAIN ON U.S. CITES COP 14 PRIORITIES

UNCLAS MADRID 000853 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR OES/ETC (ROWENA WATSON) AND EUR/WE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SENV ETRD KSCA SP SUBJECT: SPAIN ON U.S. CITES COP 14 PRIORITIES REF: A. STATE 57912 ¶B. STATE 59536 ESTHOFF made reftel points May 7 to Environment Ministry Biodiversity Deputy Director General Manuel Calderon, urging Spain to support USG priorities at the 14th Conference of States Parties (COP) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The following outline of Spanish views is linked to the USG priorities delineated in reftels. -- Spain does not/not support the U.S. proposal to delete Bobcat from CITES Appendix II. Spain believes that the skins of its endangered Iberian Lynx closely resemble those of U.S. bobcat and would thus oppose the U.S. proposal based on the CITES "look alike" principle. Calderon said there was a consensus EU position to oppose the U.S. proposal. -- Spain and the EU will join the U.S. in supporting the Kenyan proposal to list Sawfish in CITES Appendix I. -- Spain and the EU will join the U.S. in supporting the listing of all pink and red corals in CITES Appendix II, but will favor a personal effects exemption for tourists purchasing a limited number of small coral-based souvenirs. -- Spain and the EU support the listing of Banggai cardinalfish in CITES Appendix II. -- Spain supports the German/EU proposals to list Spiny Dogfish and Porbeagle in CITES Appendix II. -- Spain will join the U.S. in opposing the Chinese proposal to authorize the trade in farm-raised tigers. -- Spain supports the referral of CITES Document 36 on Appendix II export quotas to a working group. Spain and the EU support the Document 36 proposal in general, but will seek several clarifications via the working group that will likely be established. Aguirre