The executive branch is taking action designed to reduce demand for illegal wildlife, including building awareness and law enforcement capacity, but disagreement among officials on roles and responsibilities has hindered some activities to combat wildlife trafficking in Southeast Asia, the Government Accountability Office said in a report released Oct. 12. The GAO recommended that the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Interior and State departments work to clarify roles and responsibilities for staff collaborating on prevention efforts in Southeast Asia. The agencies agreed with the GAO’s recommendations. About 90 percent of seized wildlife shipments recorded by the Fish and Wildlife Service from 2007 to 2016 were seized upon import, sometimes due to invalid clearance documentation, the report says. The top 10 wildlife shipments seized by FWS in that time frame were coral, crocodile, conch, deer, python, sea turtle, mollusks, ginseng, clam and seahorse, the GAO said.
The Trump administration is lifting sanctions blocking the property of the government of Sudan and generally banning U.S. individuals from engaging in transactions with Sudan and the government of Sudan, effective Oct. 12, Treasury said. Former President Barack Obama through a Jan. 13 executive order directed the lifting of sanctions on Sudan by July 12, 2017, before President Donald Trump postponed the termination of sanctions until Oct. 12 (see 1707120008). Effective that day, Office of Foreign Assets Control General License A will be required for certain exports and re-exports to Sudan of agricultural commodities, medicine and medical devices, because of Sudan’s listing on the U.S. government’s State Sponsors of Terrorism List, Treasury said. That license will authorize all exports and re-exports of agricultural commodities, medicine or medical devices to Sudan, provided that items are shipped within 12 months of the date of signing the export or re-export contract. Further, individuals will still need to be licensed by the Bureau of Industry and Security to export or re-export to Sudan certain items on the Commerce Control List. The State Department is issuing a notice in the Federal Register stating that Sudan has taken several positive actions that warrant the lifting of sanctions.
The State Department added Tony-Lee Thulsie and Brandon-Lee Thulsie to its list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists, State said. "Global Terrorist" designations include prohibitions against knowingly providing, or attempting or conspiring to provide, material support or resources to, or engaging in transactions with, the individuals. The designations also freeze all property and interests of the individuals in the U.S. or in the control of U.S. citizens.
The State Department is extending a temporary modification of Category XI of the U.S. Munitions List, after the department had determined that exporters may read export control language revised Dec. 30, 2014, to exclude certain intelligence analytics software that has been and remains controlled on the USML, State said. The revision clarifies that the scope of control for intelligence analytics software under paragraphs (b) and (d) of Category XI prior to Dec. 30, 2014, remains in effect through Aug. 30, 2018. State last extended the temporary modification in December 2015 (see 1512150016).
The State Department has issued a notice announcing that it is proposing to extend the Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. and Cambodia concerning the imposition of import restrictions on archaeological material from the Bronze Age through the Khmer era.
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls homepage’s Defense Trade Application Systems (DTAS) information system will be unavailable to industry users from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. EDT Aug. 23 for routine maintenance, DDTC said.
The State Department added Abu Yahya al-Iraqi and Ahmad Alkhald to its list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists, State said. "Global Terrorist" designations include prohibitions against knowingly providing, or attempting or conspiring to provide, material support or resources to, or engaging in transactions with, the individuals. The designations also freeze all property and interests of the individuals in the U.S. or in the control of U.S. citizens.
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls released the export license notifications that it sent to Congress between January and June 2017, State said in a notice.
The State Department added Hizbul Mujahideen to its list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists, State said. "Global Terrorist" designations include prohibitions against knowingly providing, or attempting or conspiring to provide, material support or resources to, or engaging in transactions with, the individuals. The designations also freeze all property and interests of the individuals in the U.S. or in the control of U.S. citizens.
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls homepage’s Defense Trade Application Systems (DTAS) information system will be unavailable to industry users from 4 a.m. to 5 a.m. EDT Aug. 16 for routine maintenance, DDTC said.