Urgent - update from IWC from Sue Arnold (Australians for Animals)

[Guest guest]

PLEASE CIRCULATE ALL OVER.

 

>Update on IWC.. Tuesday .. Sue Arnold, Australians for Animals, (copyright)

>

>Not only is the Sanctuary vote lost, but its clear the fix is in place.

>Circulating among the NGO's is a secret resolution drawn up by Sweden,South

>Africa, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Mexico, Oman, Spain and Switzerland

>which calls on the IWC to incorporate the RMS and RMP into the Schedule.

>A successful vote would ensure that CITES downlists the whales next year,

>bowing to the " competence " of the IWC and paving the way for commercial

>whaling to begin.

>

>There is a massive sell out going on here in Adelaide. When the Maori

>Minister for the Environment in New Zealand made her prayer this morning

>and chanted at the end of her message, it was the only light which

>permeated this gloomy cold place .. in spite of the fact that the South

>Pacific Sanctuary would have included 80 per cent waters of island nation

>states ( ie their EEZ's) and only 20 per cent international waters, the

>Japanese and their puppets worked unceasingly to ensure the vote would be

>blocked.

>

>The dreadful news is that with the support of the nations named above in

>the secret RMS resolution, plus Japan, Norway and the Caribbean puppets,

>the RMS resolution is likely to go through. This is disastrous. We have

>seen members of the US delegation in heavy duty conversatiion with

>Norway... its clear that the US has truly become a pro whaling nation in

>spite of its efforts to demonstrate otherwise. AFA believes the sanctuary

>push was mere street theatre to cover up the real machinations of the

>meeting.. to get the RMS accepted.

>

>Japan is covering the IWC meeting with highly expensive technicolour

>propoganda.. their message simple... "

>Whales consume this Much Fish Resources.. " Greedy whales are eating humans

>out of their fish entitlement.. " Whales consume from 3 to six times the

>total marine commercial fisheries catch for human food.. "

>

>and I like this quote from their propoganda.. " When a single species is

>protected ignoring its role in the ecosystem, the balance in the ecosystem

>is disrupted.. " maybe time the Japanese looked at themselves.

>Their behaviour at this conference has been characterised by lies..lies and

>more lies. Japan has produced maps of the world demonstrating how many

>fish harp and hooded seals eat, for example.

>

>Yet this is the nation that has slaughtered over 400,000 small cetaceans

>over the last twenty years. Japan even claimed in plenary that the reason

>minke whale numbers were down was probably because the whales had drowned

>under the ice. This statement is designed to cover up the heavy whaling of

>minkes carried out by Japan under the guise of " scientific whaling. " This

>is a nation out of control, a country that believes it has the divine right

>to ignore the rest of the world

>and thatit can lie in international arenas with impunity. No one pulls

>Japan up at the meeting, the Chairman asks for brevity then allows Japan to

>drone on for hours. No one complains that Japan is the only country at IWC

>which speaks its own language and then has its long long sentences

>translated thereby holding up hours of working time.

>

>We need to start a global campaign from the grass roots.. all over again..

>and there isnt much time.. it is clear that Japan/Norway/and the US have

>found common interests in downgrading any protection of whales. The US "

>support " of the Sth Pacific sanctuary was pathetic.

>

>The gray whale issue has not been raised. It is highly unlikely it will

>be. No nation is interested in pursuing the issue. Protests here have

>been dampened by Greenpeace who insist on issuing protest protecol and

>ensuring that everyone reads the same page and that protest is extremely

>low key. No doubt to ensure that Greenpeace is not chucked out of the IWC

>as requested by Japan. That's fine for them, but the rest of the highly

>active grass roots movement need not be lead down this path.

>

>In summary, things could not be more serious. Governments who belong to

>the IWC are clearly dedicated to ignoring the protest of their voting

>public. Australia's efforts have been pathetic. We have no strong voice

>speaking out for whales in Adelaide, in spite of our Government's

>insistence that we are world's leading anti whaling nation.

>If we are, then God help the whales.

>

 

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