African nations agree elephant deal at U.N. talks

THE HAGUE, June 14 (Reuters) African nations agreed today to extend a 1989 ivory export ban for nine years after a one-off sale of southern African stockpiles in a plan to help endangered elephants.

The accord, reached overnight on the sidelines of a UN wildlife trade conference in The Hague, was a compromise between countries led by Kenya and Mali who wanted a ban, and Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa who favour limited sales.

Julius Kipng'etich, head of the Kenya Wildlife Service who led his country's delegation, said in a statement the deal was a ''proud moment for the continent'' after days of wrangling among African nations.

A Kenyan statement said the deal would allow one-off sales of government ivory stockpiles by the four southern African nations, registered as of January. 31, 2007, and then bar proposals to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to export ivory for nine years.

Countries led by Kenya and Mali had argued that more sales would spur illegal killings that would further endanger elephants. Others say regulated trade can help by ploughing cash into conservation and into building schools or hospitals.

The deal will have to be voted on by all 171 nations later today at the June 3-15 CITES talks.

Delegates have said that any deal among Africans about elephants would probably win support even though some experts say a trade moratorium is out of line with CITES, which permits strictly regulated exports from southern African nations.

''It's not a perfect deal but we will improve on it as we go on,'' the statement quoted Zimbabwe's Environment and Tourism Minister Francis Nhema as saying.

20-YEAR BAN Kenya and Mali came to the CITES talks demanding a 20-year extension of the moratorium on African ivory exports. They say poaching is rising and killing 19,000 elephants a year.

Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa want to allow regular trade to benefit remote communities, where rising elephant numbers come into conflict with farmers.

African elephants number about 470,000-685,000 against millions decades ago, but populations are rising in some southern regions.

Ivory is prized for jewellery and for carvings.

Since the 1989 ban, a one-off sale of 50 tonnes of ivory was approved in 1997.

Another approved last week -- of 60 tonnes to Japan split between 20 tonnes from Botswana, 30 tonnes from South Africa and 10 from Namibia -- would become part of the agreed stockpile sale.

It was not clear how big the stockpiles are. Stockpiles come from animals that die of natural causes, from seizures from poachers and from shooting ''problem elephants''.

Elephants have dominated the CITES talks, looking at ways to regulate trade in creatures ranging from tigers to timber.

REUTERS SG RK1401