Australia courts island nations to stop whaling

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Australia courts island nations to stop whaling

 

By James Grubel Mon Jun 6,12:04 PM ET

Source >

http://news./s/nm/20050606/sc_nm/australia_whaling_dc

 

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australia will lobby South

Pacific island nations this week to try to head off

Japan's push to increase its annual whale hunt as

Canberra steps up its diplomatic offensive against

Japanese whaling.

 

But the mission by Australian Environment Minister Ian

Campbell has received a setback, with the influential

Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea (PNG) signaling its

support for Japanese whaling.

 

" Traditionally, and even now, our people do eat whale,

and dugongs and animals like that. So in that sense,

we do share the Japanese view to some extent, " PNG's

Foreign Minister Rabbie Namaliu told Reuters.

 

PNG is the biggest Pacific island nation after

Australia, and its views carry significant weight

among smaller South Pacific nations.

 

Japan wants to increase its annual intake of minke

whales to 935 from 440 and expand its hunt to include

10 fin whales a year for the next two years. By

2007-08, Japan wants to be allowed to hunt 40 fin

whales and 50 humpback whales.

 

It has threatened to leave the

International Whaling Commission (IWC) if the body

votes against its plans at a meeting in

South Korea on June 20.

 

Japan, where whale meat is a delicacy, abandoned

commercial whaling in 1986 in line with an

international ban, but it began hunting whales for

what it calls scientific research the next year. The

meat ends up in gourmet restaurants.

 

Japan's plan has angered Australia, which last week

led a 15-nation diplomatic protest in Tokyo over

whaling. Australia has said there is no scientific

basis for whaling and warned of an international

backlash if Japan extends its whale hunt.

 

Campbell, who last week toured Europe to gather

support to block Japan's move, will this week visit

the Solomon Islands, Kiribati and Tonga to try to win

the support of the smaller South Pacific island

nations ahead of the June 20 meeting.

 

He told reporters in Perth the IWC vote could come

down to one or two countries.

 

" Foreign affairs officials and whaling officials tell

me that there's only one or two votes in this at

Korea, so every country is going to count, " Campbell

said.

 

He said he would tell the island nations it was not

necessary to kill the whales for scientific research.

 

At a meeting in New Zealand in August 2003, leaders

from Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, New Zealand, Niue,

PNG, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu all declared whale

sanctuaries or protection for whales in their waters.

 

PNG and Tonga are not members of the IWC, but Solomon

Islands and Kiribati are members and will have a vote

on June 20.