U.N. Lifts Ban On Caviar Exports From Caspian

The United Nations on Tuesday lifted a year-old embargo on exports of most types of caviar from the Caspian Sea, the main source of the delicacy, despite the fact that stocks are continuing to decline. Exports of caviar, which can sell for as much as $9,500 a kilo, were banned in 2006 because the main producers -- Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan -- failed to meet requirements, such as providing stock levels. The U.N. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) said it authorised the sale of nearly 96 tonnes of caviar in 2007, some 15 percent below the quotas handed out in 2005...