Antarctic pact defended

Press, 16 April 1980, Page 17

Antarctic pact defended

A suggestion that.. Antarctica become a trusteeship under the United Nations overlooks provisions of the Antarctic Treaty- of 1959, according to the New Zealand Antarctic Society. The suggestion of a trusteeship was made by r the president of the. Auckland branch of the United Nations Association (Mr P. Soljak) .and reported in “The Press” on April 10. Mr Soljak had questioned the wisdom of having 85 per cent of the continent in the hands of seven countries, especially when it was known to be rich in fish, oil and minerals. The vice-president of the society (Mr R. Gi McElrea) acknowledge weaknesses in the Antarctic Treaty, principally relating to the time factor involved in reaching decisions. “But surely’ the ongoing involvement of 13 interested countries is a much easier decision-making process than that involving approximately 150 nations,” he said. The.. Treaty’ had been widely acclaimed as a model of international cooperation. Its achievements included the adoption of at least 69 recommended measures, twothirds of which concerned, the protection and preservation of the Antarctic environment.

The treaty nations, for example, in consultation with the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, had examined the question of Antarctic biological and mineral resources and a draft fishing convention was being negotiated. Mr McElrea agreed that

the treaty put aside political claims for its duration. “However, it, does not expire in 1991 (as stated by Mr Soljak); -it is merely open to review if any of the parties wish to raise the matter,” he said. “There would be no certainty that such claims would be foregone even if the present; treaty was superseded by some other international'trsuteeship.” To link the question of political claims with the treaty’ was to ignore the provisions of the treaty’, he said. Similarly, to suggest that the proposed United Nations arrangement would ■.-' entail the demilitarisation of Antarctica, overlooked Article 1 of the Antarctic , Treaty which provided for that very matter.