Antarctic mineral regime delay tactic expected

Press, 27 January 1988, Page 40

Antarctic mineral regime delay tactic expected

PA Wellington Mining supporters may try to delay negotiations for an Antarctic mineral regime, a group monitoring a meeting of Antarctic Treaty nations in Wellington claimed this week.

Diplomats from 27 of the 37 treaty nations have been negotiating for a second week on rules to govern mining on the continent. Their talks finish on Friday and a final session is scheduled for May, again in Wellington. According to the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition the

schedule may not be kept. A coalition spokeswoman, Cath Wallace, said an early conclusion was important to the seven nations that claimed territory in the Antarctic.

New Zealand, Australia, Chile, Argentina, Norway, France and Britain stood to lose influence as the total number of treaty States expanded year by year.

Non-claimant states that wished to sponsor mineral exploration, probably for oil in the first instance, were also keen to see

negotiations finished but for these countries, including West Germany, Japan and the United States, timing was less critical, Ms Wallace said. The coalition team monitoring the private negotiations had noticed that at least one “miner State” was well aware the claimant countries wanted an agreement quickly and that the New Zealand Government would be embarrassed by a delay. She said the May, 1988, deadline had been set at a meeting of treaty nations in Uruguay last May.