OMAN RESPONSE TO CITES IMPLEMENTATION CONCERN

C O N F I D E N T I A L MUSCAT 000247 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP, OES/ENV STATE PASS USTR FOR JBUNTIN AND JPRESCOTT E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/10/2017 TAGS: SENV ETRD PREL MU SUBJECT: OMAN RESPONSE TO CITES IMPLEMENTATION CONCERN REF: A. STATE 30424 ¶B. 06 MUSCAT 1124 Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Alfred Fonteneau, reasons 1.4 b and d 1.(C) On February 21, the Ambassador again raised the issue of Oman's accession to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) with Ministry of Foreign Affairs Under Secretary Sayyid Badr al-Busaidi (deputy-minister equivalent). Sayyid Badr, recollecting his July 2006 conversation with the Ambassador on this issue, expressed surprise that action had still not been undertaken. He noted that he was unaware of any substantive issues blocking passage of the legislation and surmised that accession most likely was facing procedural delays and a final technical review. Sayyid Badr told the Ambassador that he would inquire about the status of the legislation and attempt to resolve any outstanding issues. ¶2. (SBU) Comment: The Ambassador's query follows a series of recent engagements on CITES with various Omani government interlocutors, including the Minister of Commerce and Industry, and both the Under Secretary for Environmental Affairs and the Director General of Nature Conversation at the Ministry of Regional Municipalities, Environment, and Water Resources. Embassy will continue to press for quick Omani government accession to this convention. Embassy also notes that, per reftel, Oman has an extensive record in place with regard to protecting endangered species. End Comment. GRAPPO