*EPF507 05/10/2002
U.S. Prepares for Contentious Whale Commission Meeting in Japan
(Remains firmly against commercial whaling, says U.S. official) (1040)

By Berta Gomez
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- Proposals from Japan and other countries that would weaken the 16-year moratorium on commercial whaling threaten to mire the upcoming meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in controversy, says the U.S. commissioner to the IWC, Rollie Schmitten.

Schmitten, who will lead the U.S. delegation to the plenary assembly in Japan, said in a May 8 interview that the United States will continue its firm opposition to commercial whaling -- a policy that has remained in place under four successive administrations.

At issue is Japan's recent proposal to expand its scientific whaling research to include catches of the endangered sei whale. Many governments and environmentalists have criticized Japan's research program as a thinly veiled form of commercial whaling. They argue that the products of allegedly "scientific" whale catches are regularly sold in Japanese restaurants and that research could be conducted without killing the whales.

Japanese officials say their research is necessary to assess the effects of the whales' fish consumption on marine resources. They also point to the long tradition of whaling in Japanese culture. The site of IWC meeting, the port city of Shimonoseki, is a major Japanese whaling base.

For its part, the United States has long urged Japan to substitute non-lethal techniques for its research and on May 7 joined 17 other countries in registering objections to Japanese whaling policies.

"Our governments consider Japan's actions as undermining the authority of the IWC and designed to undo the decades of progress that have achieved the substantial level of protection that whales enjoy today," they said in a Mexico-led demarche to the Japanese government.

Schmitten said the demarche was "very clear" and expressed hope that the strength of international opposition would convince Japan to alter its plans. Japan's expanded research proposal, discussed during the IWC Science Committee meeting, could be withdrawn, he indicated.

"Thus far, Japan has held the door open for discussions and has said that it won't make a final decision until the end of the IWC meeting," Schmitten said.

He said the United States is not threatening trade sanctions against Japan over the whaling issue, explaining that efforts to modify Japanese whaling practices are focused on bilateral and multilateral diplomacy.

U.S. officials "remain mindful of our cultural differences with Japan and their reliance on the sea as an island nation," Schmitten said. "On almost all other issues, we see eye to eye."

The U.S. delegation to the IWC will also pursue longstanding policies supporting subsistence whaling by aboriginal communities, the creation of new whale sanctuaries, and completion of a revised management scheme (RMS) to guide future IWC policy. The United States, Schmitten added, will continue to insist on "the use of good science to guide our decision making" on policies related to whale conservation.

Overall, Schmitten said that the IWC meeting outcome could depend on potential changes in membership. The IWC is almost evenly split between supporters and opponents of commercial whaling, with opponents holding a very slight majority. Any shift in the balance could change the character of the IWC.

Because countries are allowed to submit articles of ratification up until the start of the plenary, the 2002 meeting could conceivably produce a shift in favor of commercial whaling within the IWC, which currently has 44 members.

Schmitten said that such a shift was unlikely. "As of today, I feel quite confident" of maintaining the anti-whaling majority at the IWC, he said.

Even if the balance were to shift, he added, pro-whaling nations would lack the three-quarters majority necessary to overturn the IWC moratorium on commercial whaling.

Also related to the moratorium is the IWC's ongoing work on the RMS, which would establish a global whale monitoring system. Pro-whaling countries, including Japan, have said that completing an RMS could open the door to limited commercial whaling. An RMS, they say, would give the Whaling Commission an effective observation and inspection regime to ensure countries' adherence to approved catch limits for certain stocks of whales in areas where they are plentiful.

Schmitten said the United States supports completion of an RMS, but stressed that an agreement would not inevitably lead to the resumption of commercial whaling.

"These are two separate issues," Schmitten said. "This is nothing more and nothing less than a plan. Completing the RMS does not mean that we're ready to proceed to the next step."

Moreover, Schmitten saidd that work on the RMS is far from over and will not be completed during the 2002 meeting in Japan.

On another issue, Schmitten said the United States would support Iceland's bid to join the IWC but could not accept that country's request to be exempt from the ban on commercial whaling. No other country has been allowed to place conditions on its membership, and the United States believes that Iceland's obligations should be consistent with those of all other IWC members, he indicated.

"We think their views are constructive, and we have sent messages encouraging them to join -- but without reservations," he said of Icelandic officials.

The United States also remains opposed to Norway's plan to resume its international trade of whale products although the plan itself has been modified since Norway made its surprise proposal in January 2001, Schmitten said.

Norway had originally sought to sell excess whale blubber to Japan but abandoned the plan after Norwegian whale blubber was found to contain unacceptably high levels of toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Norway has since advanced a more limited proposal providing for the sale of modest amounts of whale meat.

The United States opposes even the limited plan and hopes that Norway decides to drop the proposal altogether, Schmitten said. The issue of contamination "extends beyond Norway" and could gain in importance as countries debate commercial whaling, he added.

Schmitten said the U.S. delegation would also support creation of a new South Pacific whale sanctuary proposed by Australia and New Zealand and for a South Atlantic sanctuary proposed by Brazil.

The IWC began its month-long series of meetings on April 25 and will conclude with the ballot-casting plenary assembly scheduled for May 20-24.

(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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