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Tonio Azzopardi, Ornis chairman “I’m convinced Sultana will return” “Definitely not”, says Sultana
Matthew Vella
Ornis Committee chairman Tonio Azzopardi’s hopes that ornithologist Joe Sultana will back on board following his resignation last week have been dashed with an outright refusal by Sultana.
Azzopardi said he was “convinced” the 67-year-old expert would be back in Ornis. “His place is on the committee. I still have hope he will be active. His contribution is still valid.”
To that, Sultana told MaltaToday “definitely not”, confirming his disgust at the way government was giving in to the hunters’ lobby, FKNK. “I thank Dr Azzopardi for his kind words, but I’m not getting any younger for this job.”
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Rural Affairs and Environment said a replacement on the Ornis Committee was expected to be announced in the coming days.
Sultana’s resignation was triggered by various decisions on the board, including Azzopardi’s decision to renege on issuing a closing date for the hunting season, and a police memo that ordered officers not to enforce the new hunting laws transposed from the Birds Directive.
Azzopardi justified the decision to allow BirdLife Malta and the FKNK to reach an agreement on a closing date for the hunting season as “the best way for them to achieve a common position. Their written contribution will indicate their points of convergence and divergence and that way Ornis will be in a better position to judge on the issue.”
Sultana however said he felt Ornis should be abiding by the Birds Directive and that it should have recommended a closing date for the hunting season.
Both BirdLife and FKNK are expected to present their position by the 20 October.
Azzopardi expressed a buoyant hope that the two sides were “serious, and people of good will and integrity… Frederick Bowman is mediating between both sides. Hopefully, we’ll be studying their position soon enough.”
Close friends of the internationally recognised ornithologist said Sultana was displeased at the lack of political resolve to enforce the new laws.
But although Sultana’s departure as advisor to the Ornis Committee was expected to trigger the European Commission to take a tougher stance with the local authorities, Brussels was never informed of his departure.
“That’s information we didn’t have,” Nicholas Hanley, head communications at the Environment DG in Brussels, said.
Hanley said the Commission will be adopting a wait-and-see approach over news that the police force ordered its officers not to arraign individuals caught trapping quails, golden plovers, turtle doves and thrushes.
The memo was issued by Inspector Alex Miruzzi which said no charges would be pressed against those hunting at sea with engines capable of speeds higher than 18 km/hour, or caught using shotguns with chambers capable of taking more than two cartridges.
“If the instruction results in the non-enforcement of the new law, the Commission will be asking questions. We are interested in seeing that the Birds Directive is both transposed and implemented, but the Commission is not going to respond very quickly,” Hanley told MaltaToday.
“Our nature unit will be dialoguing informally with Malta, but if we were to receive complaints the this measure was persisting over a period of time, we will be asking questions. The Commission is following the situation quite closely.”
The police memo was issued two weeks ago on Saturday, the same day a group of hunters gathered outside the Prime Minister’s office at Castille to protest against “restrictions” imposed on them by the government.
mvella@mediatoday.com.mt
Links:
www.maltatoday.com.mt/2006/10/08/t2.html
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