Minerals convention closer to May signing

Press, 28 January 1988, Page 4

Minerals convention closer to May signing

By

OLIVER RIDDELL

in Wellington The informal meetings in Wellington on a minerals regime for Antarctica may progress enough for a formal minerals convention to be signed in May.

The 37 Antarctic Treaty partners decided a year ago to meet in May and since then have held a series of informal meetings in New Zealand at regular intervals to progress towards an agreed convention they could sign.

The latest and last scheduled informal meeting is due to end tomorrow after two weeks.

Delegates said yesterday that they thought enough progress had been made for a formal document to be ready for signing in May. But this document would not be a complete minerals regime. Some of the most contentious issues would be held for further negotiation. The most contentious issue is who would be liable for what under the convention, and how liability could be enforced. This would be left as a subsequent protocol to the main convention.

Other issues that might not be agreed upon in time for a May signing

include compliance with an exploration or development approval order, and public access to data. These might also be matters for subsequent protocols. The territorial claims of some of the treaty partners, including New Zealand, seem to have been worked through enough to be included in a May signing. Article 29 (2) of the draft text gives nations with territorial claims special rights on the regulatory committee to be set up to consider minerals applications. The importance of this lies in the territorial claimants being given special status.

It means that applicants for minerals rights will have to do one-to-one deals with territorial claimants and so helps keep territorial claims alive. The two superpowers — the Soviet Union and United States — also get special status. A press conference may be held tomorrow at the conclusion of the twoweek meeting but it is not clear how specific that will be. The Deputy Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Mr Chris Beeby, who is chairing the minerals regime talks, has not been able to confirm that the press conference will be held.