The 53rd annual International Whaling Commission meeting has opened with the rejection of two key pro-whaling proposals, following heated arguments between pro- and anti-whaling nations.
First, Iceland鈥檚 plans to rejoin the commission while reserving the right to resume commercial whaling were dashed. Then, Japan鈥檚 proposal that open ballots could be replaced by secret voting was defeated by a sizeable majority.
Both votes were seen as important for the credibility of the IWC and for the future of the international ban on commercial whaling, which has been in place since 1986.
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The Iceland result was 鈥渢he right decision,鈥� said Elliot Morley, the UK鈥檚 IWC assistant commissioner. 鈥淭his is not a ban on Iceland 鈥� it鈥檚 a rejection of Iceland saying it鈥檚 going to pick and choose what parts of the IWC it agrees with. The moratorium is a fundamental part of the IWC.鈥�
Anti-whaling campaigners feared that a move to secret ballots would also make an overturning of the moratorium more likely. Vacillating nations would be more likely to back Japan and its pro-whaling allies if a vote on the issue was held in secret, said Richard Page of Greenpeace.
Commercial hunt
Iceland officially rejoined the IWC in June 2001. However, it reserved the right to resume a commercial hunt.
Nineteen of the 43 members of the IWC voted to reject Iceland鈥檚 reservation. Sixteen countries refused to participate in what they described as an 鈥渋llegal鈥� vote, and three abstained. Some other nations who had not paid their IWC fees were not permitted to vote.
Iceland has now been relegated to the position of an observer without voting rights for the remainder of the 2001 meeting.
But the Icelandic team has rejected the IWC鈥檚 decision. 鈥淭he opposition is crazy,鈥� Kristjan Loftsson, ex-head of a whaling company and an adviser to the Icelandic IWC team, told New 杏吧原创. 鈥淲e have a full right to rejoin with our reservation,鈥� he insisted.
A spokesman for the team says it has not yet decided whether to reapply to join the IWC without the reservation on commercial hunting.
Karen Steuer of the International Fund for Animal Welfare says: 鈥淭his is a severe blow for Iceland. They could go ahead with commercial whaling but it would be pirate whaling outside of the IWC.鈥�
Norway is currently the only country permitted a commercial hunt. It registered its opposition to the moratorium in 1982, and so is not considered to be bound by it.
Frank exchange
The vote on secret ballots 鈥� which was passed by 21 votes to 14 鈥� has also been seen to boost the credibility of the commission.
New Zealand was a particularly vocal advocate of voting transparency. New Zealand鈥檚 IWC commissioner Sandra Lee highlighted the recent Australian Broadcasting Corporation interview with Masayuki Komatsu, head of the international division at Japan鈥檚 Fisheries Agency, in which he admitted using promises of aid to persuade poor countries to vote with Japan. This admission was later denied by the Japanese government.
The New Zealand government 鈥渧iews the proposition of vote buying as outrageous and has publicly said so,鈥� Lee told delegates. 鈥淚t is a serious misuse of policy influence by wealthy nations.鈥�
Japan鈥檚 assistant commissioner to the IWC, Masayuki Komatsu, told the meeting New Zealand鈥檚 statement was 鈥渕isleading and erroneous鈥�, dismissing it as 鈥渇ull of lies鈥�.
Daven Joseph, commissioner for Antigua and Barbuda, also made his views crystal clear. The vote disallowing Iceland鈥檚 reservation was itself an act of 鈥渢reachery, which has brought the organisation into disrepute鈥�.
Antigua and Barbuda is one of the Caribbean nations accused of receiving aid in return for backing Japan and like Norway and Japan, they say they continue to view Iceland as a full member of the IWC.