[Federal Register: February 21, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 34)]
[Notices]
[Page 7904-7906]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr21fe07-65]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES); Fourteenth
Regular Meeting; Provisional Agenda; Announcement of Public Meeting
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: We, the United States, as a Party to the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
(CITES), will attend the fourteenth regular meeting of the Conference
of the Parties to CITES (CoP14) in The Hague, The Netherlands, June 3-
15, 2007. Currently, the United States is developing its negotiating
positions on proposed resolutions, decisions, and amendments to the
CITES Appendices (species proposals), as well as other agenda items
that have been submitted by other Party countries and the CITES
Secretariat for consideration at CoP14. With this notice we announce
the provisional agenda for CoP14, solicit your comments on the items on
the provisional agenda, and announce a public meeting to discuss the
items on the provisional agenda.
DATES: The public meeting will be held on April 9, 2007, at 1:30 p.m.
In developing the U.S. negotiating positions on proposed resolutions,
decisions, and species proposals, and other agenda items submitted by
other Party countries and the CITES Secretariat for consideration at
CoP14, we will consider written information
[[Page 7905]]
and comments you submit if we receive them by April 23, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Public Meeting: The public meeting will be held in the
Rachel Carson Room at the Department of the Interior at 18th and C
Streets, NW., Washington, DC. Directions to the building can be
obtained by contacting the Division of Management Authority (see FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, below). Due to building security at the
Department of the Interior, persons planning to attend the meeting must
notify the Division of Management Authority by March 30, 2007, to allow
us sufficient time to provide the building security staff with a list
of persons planning to attend. For more information, see ``Announcement
of Public Meeting'' under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
Comment Submission: Comments pertaining to proposed resolutions,
decisions, and/or agenda items should be sent to the Division of
Management Authority; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 4401 North
Fairfax Drive; Room 700; Arlington, VA 22203; or via E-mail at:
cop14@fws.gov; or via fax at: 703-358-2298. Comments pertaining to
species proposals should be sent to the Division of Scientific
Authority; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 4401 North Fairfax Drive;
Room 750; Arlington, VA 22203; or via E-mail at:
scientificauthority@fws.gov; or via fax at: 703-358-2276. Comments and
materials received will be available for public inspection, by
appointment, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, at either
the Division of Management Authority or the Division of Scientific
Authority.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information pertaining to proposed
resolutions, decisions, and agenda items contact: Acting Chief, Branch
of CITES Operations, Division of Management Authority; phone 703-358-
2095; fax 703-358-2298; E-mail: cop14@fws.gov. For information
pertaining to species proposals contact: Acting Chief, Division of
Scientific Authority; phone 703-358-1708; fax 703-358-2276; E-mail:
scientificauthority@fws.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild
Fauna and Flora, hereinafter referred to as CITES or the Convention, is
an international treaty designed to control and regulate international
trade in certain animal and plant species that are now or potentially
may become threatened with extinction. These species are listed in
Appendices to CITES, which are available on the CITES Secretariat's Web
site at http://www.cites.org/eng/app/index.shtml. Currently, 169
countries, including the United States, are Parties to CITES. The
Convention calls for biennial meetings of the Conference of the
Parties, which reviews its implementation, makes provisions enabling
the CITES Secretariat in Switzerland to carry out its functions,
considers amendments to the list of species in Appendices I and II,
considers reports presented by the Secretariat, and makes
recommendations for the improved effectiveness of CITES. Any country
that is a Party to CITES may propose amendments to Appendices I and II,
and draft resolutions, and decisions, and/or agenda items for
consideration by all the Parties.
This is our third in a series of Federal Register notices that,
together with announced public meetings, provide you with an
opportunity to participate in the development of the U.S. negotiating
positions for CoP14. We published our first CoP14-related Federal
Register notice on January 20, 2006 (71 FR 3319), and with it we
requested information and recommendations on species proposals and
proposed resolutions, decisions, and agenda items for the United States
to consider submitting for consideration at CoP14. We published our
second such Federal Register notice on November 7, 2006 (71 FR 65126),
and with it we requested information and recommendations on species
proposals, proposed resolutions, proposed decisions, and other agenda
items that the United States was considering submitting for
consideration at CoP14. You may obtain information on the above Federal
Register notices from the following sources: for information on
proposed resolutions, decisions, and agenda items, contact the Division
of Management Authority (ADDRESSES); and for information on species
proposals, contact the Division of Scientific Authority (ADDRESSES).
Our regulations governing this public process are found in 50 CFR
23.31-23.39.
CoP14 is scheduled to be held in The Hague, The Netherlands, June
3-15, 2007. On January 4, 2007, the United States submitted to the
CITES Secretariat, for consideration at CoP14, its species proposals,
proposed resolutions, proposed decisions, and other agenda items. These
documents are available on our Web site at http://www.fws.gov/international
.
Announcement of Provisional Agenda for CoP14
The provisional agenda for CoP14 is currently available on the
CITES Secretariat's Web site at http://www.cites.org/eng/cop/14/doc/index.shtml.
The working documents associated with the items on the
provisional agenda, such as proposed resolutions, proposed decisions,
and discussion documents, are also available on the Secretariat's Web
site. To view the working document associated with a particular agenda
item, access the provisional agenda at the above Web site, locate the
particular agenda item, and click on the document link for that agenda
item in the column entitled ``Document.'' Finally, the species
proposals that will be considered at CoP14 are available on the
Secretariat's Web site at http://www.cites.org/eng/cop/14/raw_props.shtml.
We look forward to receiving your comments on the items on
the provisional agenda.
Announcement of Public Meeting
We will hold a public meeting to discuss with you the items on the
provisional agenda for CoP14. The public meeting will be held on the
date specified in DATES at the address specified in ADDRESSES. You can
obtain directions to the building by contacting the Division of
Management Authority (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, above).
Please note that the Rachel Carson Room is accessible to the
handicapped and all persons planning to attend the meeting will be
required to present photo identification when entering the building.
Due to building security in the Department of the Interior, persons
planning to attend the meeting must notify the Division of Management
Authority by March 30, 2007. Persons who plan to attend the meeting and
who require interpretation for the hearing impaired must notify the
Division of Management Authority by March 21, 2007.
Future Actions
Through an additional notice and Web site posting in advance of
CoP14, we will inform you about tentative U.S. negotiating positions on
proposed resolutions, proposed decisions, species proposals, and other
agenda items that were submitted by other Party countries and the CITES
Secretariat for consideration at CoP14.
Authors: The primary authors of this notice are Frank Kohn and
Clifton Horton, Division of Management Authority; under the authority
of the U.S. Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531
et seq.).
[[Page 7906]]
Dated: February 2, 2007.
Mamie A. Parker,
Acting Director.
[FR Doc. E7-2872 Filed 2-20-07; 8:45 am]
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