SURINAME: THE ROAD AHEAD FOR THE INTERNATIONAL

UNCLAS PARAMARIBO 000170 SENSITIVE SIPDIS FOR WHA/CAR JROSHOLT OES/OPA FOR LPHELPS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EFIS KSCA PREL SENV IWC NS SUBJECT: SURINAME: THE ROAD AHEAD FOR THE INTERNATIONAL WHALING COMMISSION REF: STATE 57020 ¶1. (SBU) As requested in Reftel, on June 8 Poloff met with Suriname's International Whaling Commission (IWC) Commissioner, Mr. Jaswant Sahtoe, a public servant at the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Fisheries. Mr. Sahtoe indicated that although he was not in a position to state his view on whether the "Future of the International Whaling Commission" ("Future") meetings should be extended for another year, he thought that having a smaller working party had its advantages. He said he was hopeful that the "Future" process would formulate guidelines that are workable, because right now the IWC is not functioning. ¶2. (SBU) When asked his position on having observers at the "Future Meetings," he said it was his understanding this was already the case. Each country determines its group of advisors who may also attend the meetings, and in the past these advisors have included representatives of nongovernmental organizations. He said there was also precedent for the comments of nongovernmental advisors being shared at the meeting. He said participation in the "Future" process should be open to all members of the IWC. ¶3. (SBU) Sahtoe asked Poloff about the future of the current U.S. Commissioner, and Chair of the IWC, Dr. Bill Hogarth. Noting that the position is held by a political appointee, he questioned Poloff on whether the new Obama administration would nominate Hogarth for another term. Sahtoe said Hogarth is well-respected due to his good initiatives to bring the parties together, including the "Future" initiative. Sahtoe cautioned that his support for Hogarth as Chair was based on Hogarth's personal ideas, not his nationality, and that he might not support a different U.S. Commissioner in the same way. ¶4. (SBU) The IWC must solve the problem of managing whaling, even if it is only a temporary solution, Sahtoe opined. He said science should be the basis of the IWC's decisions, and that the Scientific Commission should be providing the necessary information so that decisions could be made without taking the risk of destroying whale populations. To do this, more research, funding for research, and vessels, are necessary. SCHREIBER HUGHES