VZCZCXYZ0001
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHPF #0654 1300935
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 100935Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8409
INFO RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0157
RUEHUP/AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST 0002
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0412
RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE 0289
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 3158

UNCLAS PHNOM PENH 000654 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS, OES/ETC--ROWENA WATSON, AND 
OES/OMC--AMANDA JOHNSON-MILLER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV KSCA ETRD CB
SUBJECT: CAMBODIAN RESPONSE TO CITES DEMARCHE 
 
REF: STATE 57912 
 
¶1.  On May 3, Poleconoff met with Mr. Suon Phalla of the 
National CITES Authority to discuss reftel demarche.  He 
revealed that the UN Food and Agriculture Organization had 
queried the Cambodian government (RGC) about all of the 
marine proposals under consideration, but the MFA responded 
that it had no comments--a response he interpreted as meaning 
the RGC had no objection.  He urged Poleconoff to speak 
directly with Mr. Ing Try, Deputy Director General of the 
Department of Fisheries at the Ministry of Agriculture, 
Forestry, and Fisheries, to clarify the RGC position about 
the proposals.  Suon Phalla agreed to relay reftel points 
about the bobcat proposal to Uk Sokhonn, Director of the 
CITES Management Authority, who was out of the country and 
unable to meet with embassy staff.  Suon Phalla also asked 
for US support for a Cambodian proposal to move a southeast 
Asian primate, slow loris, from Appendix I to Appendix II. 
On May 9, Suon Phalla informed Poleconoff that, under 
pressure from Japan, the Southeast Asian Fisheries 
Development Center (SEAFDEC) will lobby the ASEAN countries 
to oppose the two shark proposals listed in reftel. 
 
¶2.  On May 10, Poleconoff delivered reftel demarche points 
about marine species to Ing Try.  He agreed with USG concerns 
over the fate of sawfish, and noted that sawfish were once 
prevalent in Cambodia but have now declined substantially. 
He concurred that sawfish should be listed on Appendix I or 
II, but said that his staff was still researching the issue 
to determine which appendix they thought was more a 
appropriate listing for the species.  Ing Try stated that 
Cambodia would vote in favor of the pink and red coral 
proposals.  Ing Try noted that his staff is still researching 
the issue of the spiny dogfish and porbeagle proposals and 
seemed unaware of the SEAFDEC decision. 
MUSSOMELI