Despite opposition from neighbours Kenya and Rwanda, the Tanzanian government said Monday it was seeking permission from the UN panel overseeing the Convention for International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to auction 90 tonnes of ivory piled up in its storage buildings.

Trade in ivory has been banned or restricted in many countries due to the rapid decline in elephant populations around the world.

CITES permits sales and importation of the tusks in exceptional circumstances.

Tanzania's Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism argues that it needs to clear stockpiles of ivory from dead elephants and use the proceeds on wildlife management projects.

The ministry's director of wildlife, Erasmus Tarimo, said a country report on the status of its elephants would be presented to a CITES meeting in March 2010 in order to get approval for the planned auction.

The panel granted such permission in July 2008 for bidders from China and Japan to import 44 tonnes of ivory from Botswana, 9 tonnes from Namibia, 51 tonnes from South Africa, and 4 tonnes from Zimbabwe.

According to the ministry's acting permanent secretary, Felician Kilahama, the ivory has been kept in store buildings for a long time and it will be prudent to dispose of the stock through auction.

Affirming that the elephant population had increased tremendously over the last decade, he said the government would assure the CITES panel that Tanzania maintained commendable measures to ensure conservation of its elephant herds.

Kenya and Rwanda have accused Tanzania of betraying both the CITES and the East African Community spirit of consultation before planning to auction its ivory.

But the officials argued that Tanzania was seeking the CITES green light to carry out a one-off sale of ivory from registered government-owned stocks while it excluded ivory seized from poachers and smugglers as well as stocks of unknown origin.

Since the worldwide ivory trade ban by CITES in 1989, there have been ups and downs in elephant populations and the ivory trade as bans have been placed and lifted.

Some African countries, particularly Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe, insist that the ivory trade is necessary to stimulate their economies and reduce big herds that destroy the environment.

Opponents of the trade claim that its legalization would endanger elephant population in many African countries where poachers are likely to launder their illegal ivory official stockpiles.

Pana