SLOVAKIA SUPPORTS U.S. PRIORITIES FOR IWC ANNUAL

UNCLAS BRATISLAVA 000283 SIPDIS STATE FOR OES/OA - FIELD E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SENV EFIS KSCA PREL IWC ETRD LO SUBJECT: SLOVAKIA SUPPORTS U.S. PRIORITIES FOR IWC ANNUAL MEETING REF: STATE 57319 ¶1. (U) Pol/Econoff conveyed reftel points to Katarina Slabeyova, CITES Management Authority, Department of Nature and Landscape Protection in the Ministry of Environment. Slabeyova will be a GoS representative at this year's annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in Santiago, Chile. Having attended the March 2008 Intersessional Meeting on the the Future of the IWC in London, Slabeyova stated the GoS generally supports U.S. positions concerning whaling and the IWC. While she did not offer specifics, she noted Slovakia's views are conservation-minded and reflective of EU positions. OBSITNIK