Pawns in play on Antarctic ice-cap
Russia and China are both planning to prospect for natural resources despite a long-standing agreement banning it
The opening manoeuvres may have begun. During the Antarctic Treaty consultative meeting in Buenos Aires last June, Russia stated its intention to start prospecting for minerals, oil and gas in the white continent and surrounding seas. The document submitted by the Russian delegation listed the key points of the “strategy for the development of the Russian Federation activities in the Antarctic for the period until 2020, and longer-term perspective”.
Whether or not this document ruffled feathers among the 48 treaty nations nobody knows, since the meetings are closed to outside observers and the contents of the discussions are not disclosed. However the Russian document was discreetly posted on the treaty secretariat’s website.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/global/2011/nov/08/antarctic-prospecting-treaty?newsfeed=true