Cablegate: Egyptian Respond to Cites Cop Demarche
VZCZCXRO5841
RR RUEHAST RUEHDH RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB RUEHPOD RUEHSL RUEHTRO
DE RUEHEG #0310 0481537
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 171534Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0292
INFO ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS CAIRO 000310
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR NEA/ELA AND NEA/RA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV KSCA AORC UNEP EG
SUBJECT: EGYPTIAN RESPOND TO CITES COP DEMARCHE
REF: 10 STATE 6668 (U)
ESTH delivered reftel points to Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sustainable Development and Environmental Affairs First Secretary Mohamed Nasr on February 9. Nasr stated Egypt "leans favorably" towards the USG proposal to remove the bobcat (lynx rufus) from CITES Appendix II but noted a Ministry of Agriculture team of technical advisors is reviewing the text before officially announcing the government's position. He said an Egyptian delegation, likely headed by Dr. Nabil Mahmoud Sedkee - the Ministry of Agriculture's national zoos and wildlife preservation director, will attend the CITES COP 15 conference in Doha next month. The rest of the delegation is expected to be announced at the end of February. SCOBEY