VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHGP #1946/01 2960826
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 230826Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY SINGAPORE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4280
INFO RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 7552

UNCLAS SINGAPORE 001946 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR A/S MCMURRAY 
BANGKOK FOR JIM WALLER 
STATE PASS USTR FOR AUSTR LINSCOTT 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV ETRD ECON PREL SN
SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR U.S.-SINGAPORE ENVIRONMENTAL MOI 
REVIEW 
 
REF: A. SINGAPORE 996 (FTA YEAR THREE REVIEW) 
 
     ¶B. 06 SINGAPORE 1046 (UPDATED ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT) 
     ¶C. SINGAPORE 1833 (USTR RAISES ILLEGAL LOGGING 
        INITIATIVE) 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary:  The October 30 biennial review in 
Singapore of the Memorandum of Intent on Cooperation in 
Environmental Matters offers a good opportunity to move 
forward our bilateral engagement on the environment under the 
U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (FTA).  The timing is 
ideal: Singapore has indicated that climate change, energy 
security, and environmental protection will be major themes 
at the ASEAN and East Asia Summits in November.  Singapore is 
making progress on environmental issues, including amendments 
last year to its Endangered Species Act and related 
enforcement actions.  However, we remain concerned about 
Singapore's reluctance to increase monitoring of transit and 
transshipped cargo, which is thought to be a conduit for 
illicit trade in internationally controlled items.  Singapore 
officials want to work with us, but remain mindful of 
constraints that limit law enforcement cooperation, political 
sensitivities with neighboring countries, and Singapore's 
overriding interest in maintaining its competitiveness as a 
trading hub.  End summary. 
 
Opportunities... 
---------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) We look forward to your October 29-31 visit and 
encourage you to: 
 
-- urge Singapore to inspect more transshipped and transit 
cargo for CITES-related items; 
 
-- stress the importance of regional engagement on 
transnational issues such as illegal logging; and 
 
-- highlight issues of mutual interest such as renewable 
energy and water conservation. 
 
And a pitfall... 
---------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The issue of arowana "dragon fish" exports has 
quieted down recently, but we expect the GOS to raise it at 
least perfunctorily during the review.  Arowana are listed in 
CITES Appendix 1 and as an endangered species in the United 
States.  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has 
repeatedly refused to issue permits that would allow 
Singapore to export arowana to the United States.  However, 
Singapore's tropical fish industry continues to pressure the 
GOS to break through the deadlock.  If raised, we recommend 
you ask GOS officials speak directly to FWS (Ref A). 
 
A Garden City 
------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Singapore is justly proud of its nickname, the 
"garden city", garnered through careful long-term policy 
planning and top-down direction initiated in the 1960s by 
modern Singapore's founding father, Lee Kuan Yew. 
Industrialization and developmental goals have always taken 
priority, yet the GOS has been acutely aware of the need to 
maximize land use in a way that differentiates Singapore from 
other major cities in the region.  In spite of its highly 
urbanized setting, Singapore still retains considerable 
tracts of primary and secondary forests in addition numerous 
parks and gardens.  As the society has become more affluent, 
environmental consciousness has grown.  Today, Singapore's 
own environmental standards are generally consistent with 
those in the United States and Europe. 
 
Water and Air 
------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Singapore depends on four "national taps" for 
water: imports from Malaysia, rainfall (collected in a 
sophisticated island-wide catchment system), desalinization 
plants, and reclaimed water ("NEWater").  Until recently, 
Singapore relied on Malaysia for fifty percent of its water 
needs.  However, it is attempting to lessen dependence on 
imported water by managing both supply and demand (per capita 
water usage has dropped over ten liters per day in the last 
decade).  Singapore's stringent emissions standards, coupled 
 
with economic and investment policies that favor high-tech 
over heavy industry and create economic disincentives for 
private vehicle ownership, keep concentrations of major air 
pollutants well below EPA and WHO standards.  Although 2007 
has been comparatively smog-free, Singapore has in the past 
suffered from seasonal problems with smog caused by 
agricultural fires in neighboring Malaysia and Indonesia. 
The GOS is engaging both countries and even raised the haze 
problem in the United Nations in October 2006. 
 
The Transshipment Issue 
----------------------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Singapore was built on trade, and its air and 
seaports remain among the busiest in the world.  We are 
concerned that Singapore, like many countries, does not 
collect manifest data on transshipment or transit cargo 
unless it is bound for the United States, e.g., under the 
Container Security Initiative.  The United States has long 
pressed Singapore to stem illicit trade through its seaport 
and airport.  For just as long, Singapore has pushed back, 
expressing an unwillingness to institute checks that might 
interfere with the competitiveness of its ports. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Singapore has recently taken steps to address some 
of our concerns.  In March 2006, Singapore passed a new 
Endangered Species Import and Export Act and followed up with 
specific enforcement actions.  The Act increased fines 
tenfold, doubled maximum prison sentences, augmented the 
Agri-Food Veterinary Authority's (AVA) enforcement 
jurisdiction to include any cargo within the Singapore Free 
Trade Zone (i.e., outside of customs) and expanded the 
definition of contraband items (Ref B). 
 
Cooperation 
----------- 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Singapore generally approaches law enforcement and 
customs cooperation with caution.  Engagement with U.S. 
enforcement agencies, even on serious criminal cases, is good 
but generally needs improvement.  Singapore is protective of 
its sovereignty and concerned that mandated cooperation with 
the United States could spur Singapore's neighbors to demand 
law enforcement "cooperation" on cases that are driven more 
by domestic politics than genuine enforcement goals. 
Negotiations on a mutual legal assistance treaty, necessary 
to enable Singapore to share information for use in criminal 
prosecutions, began in 2003.  While Chapter 4 (Customs 
Cooperation) of the FTA contains provisions for information 
sharing, they are limited to cases involving U.S. imports 
from Singapore, not trade involving third countries. 
Singapore is generally willing to help when we provide 
detailed intelligence about a specific shipment that violates 
international treaty obligations. 
 
Sensitivities 
------------- 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Singapore appears committed to the work program 
under the MOI, but it will be sensitive to proposals that 
might seek to impose new obligations, especially those in 
which it does not have a direct stake.  The GOS believes that 
the work program should focus on non-controversial projects 
that build on shared interests.  On trade in endangered 
species and other products subject to multilateral control, 
such as certain timber, Singapore is willing to work together 
on capacity building initiatives, including workshops and 
seminars.  Focusing on enforcement of existing multilateral 
obligations under CITES and other agreements may make it 
easier to elicit Singapore's cooperation, although 
sovereignty-sensitive Singapore is likely to resist tackling 
what it considers enforcement problems within its neighbors' 
jurisdictions. 
 
 
Visit Embassy Singapore's Classified website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eap/singapore/ind ex.cfm 
HERBOLD