The Malta campaign continues.
Please send the sample letter below to the President of Malta Prof. Guido de
Marco
or if you wish compose one for yourself.
Postage is regular air mail to Europe.
_________ CUT, PASTE AND PRINT FROM HERE__________
Prof. Guido de Marco
Office of the President
The Palace
Valetta CMR 02
Malta
Dear President Marco,
Whilst appreciating your countrys strong commitment to protecting Maltas
natural heritage, it is clear to observant members of the international
community that the efforts made by the administration and the executive
organs are still half-hearted. Many of the uncivilized excesses carried out
in the name of hunting are either tolerated, or a blind eye is turned by the
responsible authorities. It is also clear that, as in other countries,
conservation of natural resources has its price not least in raising public
awareness and effectively training and equipping the police and other
enforcement agencies.
Before your appointment as President in April 1999, you held a number of
influential positions within the Maltese Government including that of
Minister for Foreign Affairs. One of your first acts in this capacity was
the submission of Maltas application for membership of the European
Community in Brussels on July 16th, 1990. On the 11th September 1999 you
presented Maltas request for the reactivation of its application for
membership to the President of the European Union.
Sadly Malta lags well behind European targets in the environmental field. In
its last regular report the EU Delegation to Malta wrote:
Since the last regular report, Malta has made very little progress in the
area of environment.
No legislative progress can be reported concerning nature protection.
Malta is .. a party to the Bern Convention .. but has a reservation and
exception under the convention in relation to the hunting season.
With regard to nature protection, most of the Community legislation has to
be transposed, in particular the wild birds and the habitat directives.
It is also obvious to tourists, and increasingly to TV viewers and newspaper
readers in the rest of Europe and elsewhere, that the biannual slaughter of
migratory birds, as well as the trapping and caging of naturally free
species, is an affront and a depletion of our joint European natural
resources; and not just an internal matter for Malta alone.
Apart from the obvious long-term environmental consequences and losses for
Malta and the rest of Europe, the Government and people of Malta should
seriously consider the effect of the negative image projected by the
barbaric behaviour of a minority and the economic and representation
penalties that will inevitably follow. In the increasingly popular - and
lucrative - field of Ecotourism Malta has acquired a bad name; and the
inevitable sanctions will be self-imposed. Until a responsible environmental
policy is implemented we will also discourage anyone in our domestic or
business circle from planning a holiday in Malta. On the other hand we hope
that active birdwatchers and environmentalists will travel to Malta during
the migration season. Perhaps the presence of foreign environmentalists will
have a salutary effect on the illegal hunters; provided the authorities
ensure that no danger to life or limb ensues.
Mr President, we appeal to you to use the authority of your office to
influence those in executive positions to put an end to practices which have
no place in a modern, environmentally aware, society. This will involve the
introduction of laws and regulations currently in force in the European
Union; and provision of the means to publicise and enforce them.
I remain,
Yours sincerely,
Your Name and Address
____________________END HERE______________________
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
david camilleri
Please now go to < http://proaction.tripod.com/malta/ >
Why don't you join < http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Eurobirder > and
< http://proaction.tripod.com/team/
< http://www.MaltaTouristAction.org
_________________________________________________________________
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