Key to ask Clinton for help with whaling
By MARTIN KAY - The Dominion Post
Prime Minister John Key will ask United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to help broker a diplomatic deal to curb Japanese whaling in Antarctica when she visits this week.
Mr Key said he would raise the issue when he meets Mrs Clinton in Auckland tomorrow, suggesting he will seek United States influence to conclude years of negotiations to stop Japan's annual whale hunt in the Southern Ocean.
The move comes as a select group of a dozen International Whaling Commission members prepare for a meeting in Honolulu this month, which could be a last-ditch chance to broker a compromise acceptable to both anti-whaling and pro-whaling countries.
Any deal is likely to have to involve tradeoffs, such as Japan being allowed to hunt whales in its own, or other, waters in return for it substantially reducing or stopping the annual Southern Ocean kill.
That would be far from ideal for New Zealand but most anti-whaling countries accept a tradeoff will be required to stop the Antarctic hunt.
The hunt is permitted under IWC rules allowing whaling for scientific purposes, but opponents claim it is really a commercial operation.
Mr Key would not say specifically what he would discuss with Mrs Clinton, describing the international talks as "delicate", but the Honolulu meeting would be raised.
"New Zealand has been working very hard to try and find a diplomatic solution to the whaling issue. There is going to be an International Whaling Commission meeting in Honolulu in the latter part of January, so this will be our last chance to voice our perspectives on that meeting when we see Secretary Clinton.
"There's been ongoing [IWC] discussions and ... progress I think has been made, but it's a delicate subject and we need to try and work our way through it, but I don't think name calling or collisions on the high seas are going to resolve this issue. It's only going to be resolved diplomatically and that's what New Zealand's working very hard to try and achieve ..."
It is understood Mr Key will not put a specific proposal to Mrs Clinton, but rather ask her to pressure nations involved in the talks to hammer out a preliminary agreement before a full IWC meeting in June.
There are fears that unless a deal is agreed this year, efforts to find a compromise could collapse altogether, potentially undermining the IWC itself.
The Honolulu meeting will be chaired by New Zealand representative Sir Geoffrey Palmer, who could not be contacted yesterday.
Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Group, in Antarctica trying to stop the hunt, said a diplomatic deal was unlikely as Japan had shown no interest.
The group believed there should be no whaling at all, but had never interfered in hunts it considered legal.
"Our objection here is that these are endangered whales being taken in an international whale sanctuary in violation of a global moratorium."
Spokesman for the Japanese whaling fleet, Glen Inwood, said he could not discuss what Japan's position at Honolulu would be, but "anything that resolves Sea Shepherd from conducting illegal acts in Antarctica's got to be good".
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yeah yeah Key - whatever. You are doing less than Australia!
Japan kills over 1,500 whales and 24,000 dolphins every year. They are driving the overfishing of bluefin tuna. It's just a resource to them and when its gone they'll move on to the next one.
Sea Shepherd is doing important, urgent work.
Alastair #3 - frightened? A ship 20 times larger and made of steel and iron frightened of a plastic boat? Be serious! besides different video clips show different things of what happened. I'm not sure who is at fault (not qualified and most likely neither are you)in the collision, but all the clips do show one thing; When the Andi Gill saw she was in the way she gunned the engines forward and at the last second cut the throttle, and the Japanese boat t-boned her. I am not accusing the Kiwi captain of deliberately putting his crew and boat in a position to be rammed, as this could have been more of a panic reaction. But hey, at the end of the day, if you want to play chicken with a Honda civic vs a freight train then don't cry if the train doesn't flinch first.
Japan's 'research’ whaling IS NOT illegal. Under international law they are permitted to cull a certain number of whales of a certain type. What the Andy Gill did and Sea Shepherd are doing IS illegal. Trying to intentionally cripple a vessel by fouling its props is not only an act of terrorism but can endanger the lives of the Japanese crew. They evaded for days none stop to avoid a confrontation and stay clear of the traps the Kiwi’s were laying and used LEGAL tactics to keep them at bay. The Andi Gill played a very very dangerous game and LOST.
The Japanese vessel after the ramming DID cut her engines and cease with the defensive systems once it was clear the Andi Gill’s crew where in danger of sinking. However, no aid was required as the Sea Shepherd had already started to assist.
Japan says "anything that resolves Sea Shepherd from conducting illegal acts in Antarctica's got to be good". refering to Sea Shepherd. I would publicly ask Japan, Who is conducting Illegal acts?
To me deliberately ramming another vessel and causing it to sink, then not even stopping to assist with injured sailors (A milennia old convention) is illegal.
I believe Japan was frightened of the Ady Gil and deliberately and with aforethought set out to "Take her out"
"The group believed there should be no whaling at all, but had never interfered in hunts it considered legal."
So they get to decide what is legal or not? Who made them the judges of what is or isn't legal?
And their idea of compromise is do it our way or we will continue to attack your legal activities.
The Sea Shepherds wont accept anything short of a halt to all whaling. NZ is just trying to move the problem somewhere else so they don't have to deal with it.
Glen inwood you are a disgrace to New Zealand. It is clear to everyone - you'll do anything for money.
I bet you make the kids proud.
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I wish JK good luck & I cant wait to see what he has up his sleeve. But really tho, whats so precious about whales? By all accounts their meat is delicious! We can't delude ourselves that NZ are a responsible fishing nation. Why should the Japanese be? If I had my way, Whale would be on my dinner plate once in a while, or perhaps at an up market restaurant. As for playing chicken with a bigger more solid vessel? That's just plain stupid...