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Friday, February 26, 2010

NZ PREFERS DIPLOMACY TO END WHALING DISPUTE

Whales on the verge of extinction... will it be saved in time

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WELLINGTON - New Zealand wants diplomacy rather than an international court to find a way to end Japan's whaling in Antarctic waters, Prime Minister John Key said yesterday.

Mr Key was responding after Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Friday bluntly warned Japan that it must commit by November to reducing its annual whale catch to zero or face action in the International Court of Justice.

"Any court case is likely to take a long time to resolve," Mr Key said. "We really want to save some whales. Coming up with a diplomatic solution has got to be a faster way than a court case."

New Zealand and Australia oppose Japan's killing of hundreds of whales each year, carried out in the name of "scientific research".

Japan's top government spokesman, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano, said yesterday the international court was not the right forum for the dispute because Japan's "research whaling" was legal under international law.

He reiterated Japan's position that it seeks a diplomatic solution rather than a court case. AFP

From TODAY, Tuesday, 23-Feb-2010
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