§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had since 1 May 1997 with representatives of the Indian government in respect of the threats to the tiger population in that country; and what were the outcomes of those decisions. [22950]
§ Mr. FatchettI met the Indian Environment Minister during my visit to India in June last year and expressed my support for the work of the Global Tiger Forum which stemmed from an Indian initiative. We continue to maintain close links with the Forum and will invite the Secretary General to the next meeting of the CITES Standing Committee to be held in London in March, where the plight of the tiger will be a major item on the agenda.