Britain urges Japan to halt commercial whaling bid

May 16, 2002

LONDON (Kyodo) Britain on Thursday urged Japan to

abandon its campaign to restore commercial whaling as

pro- and antiwhaling camps gear up for next week's

plenary session of the International Whaling

Commission.

British Fisheries Minister Elliot Morley issued the

appeal before heading to Japan for the annual session,

scheduled to open Monday in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi

Prefecture. Scientific and other meetings of the

organization are currently under way there.

" This is not about cultural differences. It is not

about the West trying to impose its beliefs. It is

about conservation, animal welfare and the

exploitation of the marine environment, " Morley said

in a prepared statement.

Morley acknowledged that Britain and Japan " are poles

apart " on the commercial whaling issue, which is

expected to dominate the five-day IWC session.

Japan and other prowhaling countries are urging the

IWC to lift a 17-year-old moratorium on commercial

whaling. The proposal has faced strong opposition from

the antiwhaling camp.

" Whaling is quite simply cruel. There is no

consistently reliable, quick and easy way to ensure

that whales are killed instantaneously. It can take

anywhere from several minutes to several hours for a

whale to die once it has been harpooned, " Morley said.

The British government also announced it will support

proposals to establish two new whaling sanctuaries,

one in the South Atlantic and the other in the South

Pacific.

The Japan Times: May 17, 2002

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