Kenya has opposed this position and has enlisted the support of the United States and the European Union to push its opposition to lifting the ban on ivory trade.
Kenya and 22 other like-minded African countries argue that lifting the ban would open a floodgate for poaching that could decimate the African elephant.
As an indication of how seriously Kenya is taking the matter, President Kibaki has exempted the minister for Forestry and Wildlife, Dr Noah Wekesa, from the recent blanket travel ban imposed on ministers and their assistants.
Dr Wekesa is leading a strong Kenyan delegation to the two-week Cites meeting which started on Saturday. He has been deeply involved in lobbying for the Kenyan position which a month ago took him to Brussels, Belgium, to seek support from the EU.
These last few days, a team of Kenyan technocrats led by Mr Patrick Omondi, the head of species conservation and management at the Kenya Wildlife Service, has been camping in the US, lobbying for support from the world’s most influential government. Kenya and Mali co-chair the Africa Elephant Coalition (AEC) which comprises 37 elephant range states. Twenty three of them are opposed to the ivory trade.
The proximity of Tanzania to Kenya, both sharing the Mara-Serengeti elephant range, explains partially why the latter is so aggressive in the campaign. Mr Omondi argues that since elephants carry no passports, they cross the border freely.
Debate in Doha is expected to be vicious and furious, with Botswana having fired the first salvo at the weekend.
Source: Allafrica