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Cites rejects political role

Cites rejects political role

A SENIOR official with the United Nations Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (Cites) says Namibia and other countries should not treat the world’s plant and animal protection body as a mechanism to impose sanctions on member countries.

Margarita Clemente, Chairperson of the Cites Plant Committee, said Cites should rather be seen as a body that fosters the sustainable use of resources. Clemente made these remarks at the opening of the five-day meeting of the Cites Plants Committee, which ended in the capital last Friday.It was not clear whether Clemente was reacting to remarks about Cites made by Namibia’s Environment and Tourism Minister, Philemon Malima, in 2002.In November 2002, Malima said in Parliament that Namibia might pull out of Cites if the UN body continued to block Namibia from selling it’s elephant tusks.Malima made that statement after the 12th Cites Conference of Parties held in Santiago, Chile, rejected Namibia’s request to trade in ivory annually.However, the organisation granted Namibia permission to have a one-off sale this year.The same meeting also gave Botswana and South Africa the green light to conduct a one-off auction of ivory stock.”We will pull out of Cites if they are not responding positively,” Malima said at the time.The date on which Namibia will conduct it’s one-off ivory sale this year will be determined by the Cites Standing Committee at a meeting from March 15 to 19 in Geneva, Switzerland.The next Cites Conference of Parties will be held in Bangkok, Thailand, from October 2 to 14.Cites said member countries had until May 5 to submit their proposals to the Secretariat.Namibia has not yet decided whether it will apply.Namibia conducted its last highly controlled ivory auction in 1999 for Japanese buyers who have an established ivory carving industry.Namibia is an active member of the Swiss-based Cites, which currently counts 164 member countries.The convention came into force on July 1 1975.Clemente made these remarks at the opening of the five-day meeting of the Cites Plants Committee, which ended in the capital last Friday. It was not clear whether Clemente was reacting to remarks about Cites made by Namibia’s Environment and Tourism Minister, Philemon Malima, in 2002. In November 2002, Malima said in Parliament that Namibia might pull out of Cites if the UN body continued to block Namibia from selling it’s elephant tusks. Malima made that statement after the 12th Cites Conference of Parties held in Santiago, Chile, rejected Namibia’s request to trade in ivory annually. However, the organisation granted Namibia permission to have a one-off sale this year. The same meeting also gave Botswana and South Africa the green light to conduct a one-off auction of ivory stock. “We will pull out of Cites if they are not responding positively,” Malima said at the time. The date on which Namibia will conduct it’s one-off ivory sale this year will be determined by the Cites Standing Committee at a meeting from March 15 to 19 in Geneva, Switzerland. The next Cites Conference of Parties will be held in Bangkok, Thailand, from October 2 to 14. Cites said member countries had until May 5 to submit their proposals to the Secretariat. Namibia has not yet decided whether it will apply. Namibia conducted its last highly controlled ivory auction in 1999 for Japanese buyers who have an established ivory carving industry. Namibia is an active member of the Swiss-based Cites, which currently counts 164 member countries. The convention came into force on July 1 1975.

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