N.Z. tells U.N. of concern about protecting Antarctica

Press, 18 December 1985, Page 29

N.Z. tells U.N. of concern about protecting Antarctica

By

TOM BRIDGMAN,

NZPA staff correspondent Washinton New Zealand has a strong commitment to ensuring the protection of the environment of the Ross dependency in Antarctica, the United Nations has been told. Mr Bill Mansfield, New Zealand’s deputy permanent representative at the United Nations in New York, told a committee dealing with Antarctica that New Zealand also continued to take the closest interest protecting the environment of the continent as a whole.

“I would note again that the New Zealand Government does not seek to promote or encourage the extraction of resources from Antarctica,” he said.

“In fact it remains a source of concern to us that some countries outside the (Antarctic) treaty have indicated that what has prompted their interest in Antarctica is resource exploitation. “New Zealand believes

that the development of a regime to govern Antarctic mineral resources is necessary as was the regime for living resources concluded in 1980.”

Mr Mansfield said that without such a regime there was a risk that resource activity “could give rise to the kind of tension and potential conflict, that the Antarctic treaty has successfully avoided.” “Such unregulated activity could also easily put at risk the Antarctic environment,” he said. Mr Mansfield also defended the Antarctic treaty, of which New Zealand was in 1959 one of the 12 original signatories. There are. now 31 parties to the treaty, 10 including China and India having joined since 1980. * The treaty requires that Antarctica be used for peaceful purposes only and promotes international cooperation and exchange of scientific information about the area. However, commercial interest in fishing and possible oil exploration has brought extra pressure on

Antarctica. Mr Mansfield said the treaty system provided for all States to make a contribution to discussions on all resource questions “as long as they are willing to accept the emphasis in the system on conservation.” “We urge all who are interested to do so,” he said.

Within the United Nations there have been some moves, in part being pushed by Malaysia, to set up some form of United Nations committee on Antarctica. This is being opposed by the treaty nations who are concerned that a United Nations body might at some later stage undermine the role of the treaty.

Mr Mansfield said New Zealand was interested to hear the Malaysian delegate mention South Africa’s status as a member of the treaty in the context of referring to the lack of African and Arab State parties.

“On the question of South Africa, the Antarctic treaty ensures that through its provisions relating to demilitarisation, to effective veri-

fication and to the prohibition of nuclear arms testing, that South Africa, like any other party, is contained,” he said.

He defended the treaty saying it provided the world with a valuable guarantee that Antarctica “shall not be used for any sinister purpose.”

"New Zealand would welcome accession to the Antarctic treaty by African and Arab States. We urge all those with a serious interest in Antarctica to become involved in the Antarctic treaty system. “It is quite unfair to maintain as some here have that ‘something more must be done than proclaiming the virtues of the Antarctic treaty system and inviting the accession of other states’,” said Mr Mansfield. "There is no reason why the resources of the United Nations should be diverted to the establishment of a forum in which to discuss Antarctica when there is a completely successful forum already established under the Antarctic treaty.”