(fwd) Wed 22nd June 6pm Whaling Victory

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Here's the story.

http://seven.com.au/news/topstories/88832

PM calls on Japan to abandon whale push

22/06/05

By Denis Peters

 

Prime Minister John Howard has called on Japan to abandon

its push for commercial whaling culls as the International

Whaling Commission rebuffed pro-whaling nations for the

third day.

 

The crucial IWC meeting in Korea voted 30-27 in support of

an Australian resolution to protest against Japan's new

so-called research whaling program.

 

But Japan has vowed to go ahead with plans to increase its

research whaling program and extend it to two threatened

species.

 

Japan wants to increase its scientific catch of minke

whales from 440 to almost 900 each year, with many of them

likely to be caught in Antarctic waters claimed by Australia.

 

Australia has been outraged at the Japanese plans,

particularly to extend their catch to humpbacks, the basis of a

whale watching industry worth hundreds of millions of dollars

to the Australian economy.

 

The Australian strategy in Ulsan has been to shame whaling

nations away from the culling practice in the face of the

international community.

 

IWC rules mean that Japan can go ahead with its planned

kill this year, leading to calls in Australia for tougher

action by the federal government, such as taking Japan to the

International Court of Justice and banning Japanese whalers

from using Hobart's port facilities.

 

But Mr Howard has resisted such calls, preferring to appeal

to Japan to desist.

 

" We of course are close allies of the Japanese and Japan is

a good friend to Australia and will remain so irrespective

of our differences on this issue, " Mr Howard said.

 

" But we do feel very strongly. It has united public opinion

in Australia and I hope that Japan will take note of how

strongly countries that are traditionally sympathetic to

Japan's position in the world feel on this subject - and I'm

thinking of Australia and the United States and others.

 

" So I just ask them to reflect on the strength of that

opinion and I hope Japan acts accordingly. "

 

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer poured cold water on the

idea that Australia might take Japan to the ICJ.

 

The ICJ route is one advocated by Labor and the

conservation group, the Humane Society International.

 

" Some members and commentators have argued that we should

abandon all of this (diplomatic) process, that it doesn't

amount to much, and we should instead just go to the ICJ, " he

told parliament.

 

" The government's always said that we don't rule in or rule

out any options.

 

" But bringing legal action in the ICJ is a process that ...

could take a decade or more.

 

" You wouldn't get very quick results there.

 

" It is better that Japan remains in the IWC where its

whaling activities can be supervised and regulated. "

 

Australian Greens senator Bob Brown called for the banning

of Japanese whaling ships using Hobart to refuel and

resupply.

 

But the government strongly opposed the motion.

 

Copyright © 2005 AAP

 

 

 

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