[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 34 (Wednesday, February 21, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7904-7906]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-2872]


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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

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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: 
[email protected]; 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: 
[email protected]; 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: [email protected]. For information 
pertaining to species proposals contact: Acting Chief, Division of 
Scientific Authority; phone 703-358-1708; fax 703-358-2276; E-mail: 
[email protected].

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.).


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    Dated: February 2, 2007.
Mamie A. Parker,
Acting Director.
 [FR Doc. E7-2872 Filed 2-20-07; 8:45 am]
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