|
 Post-afternoon tea, there will be much applause and significant
consideration.
A way forward is agreed on the translation issue. A new
chair of F+A is appointed.
We come to the name and place of the next
meeting: in 2007 we shall be in Alaska; in 2008 we shall be in Chile.
The
US gives a nice presentation on Anchorage, stressing the importance of the
Alaskan native community. We can look forward to 21 hours of sunlight - and the
film shows a green and pleasant place and many images of whales and some of
aboriginal whale hunting. (Some delegates fear that snorkelling opportunities
may be rather poor compared to St Kitts and Nevis.)
The main meeting will
be in the Captain Cook Hotel. It will only be a 4 day Commission meeting and a
provisional timing is provided. The main Commission meeting will be 28 May-31
May. Madam Secretary notes that there are aboriginal quotas that need to be
reviewed and renewed at this meeting.
Monaco complains that he has had to
compete with NGOs for access to the few computers and internet in St Kitts and
hopes that more are provided in Anchorage. He is applauded.
Free
complimentary wireless will be provided in Anchorage says the USA. (More loud
applause. These are obviously important matters.)
The Chair looks forward
to future meetings.
Portugal notes that last year it offered to host the
meeting in 2009 and suggested to Japan that it moved its offer. Portugal would
like the meeting to come to Madeira, home now of major whale watching operation.
Yokohama would like to host meeting 61 says the Japanese Alternate
Commissioner. The Yokohama minister wanted to come himself to tell the
Commission this. Instead he has sent a video message - you may remember his face
says Joji, because he used to attend IWC meetings.
A video of the mayor
of Yokohama plays. [Many delegates have gone to watch the football on one of the
many major screens that have popped up around the hotel.] The video shows now a
vast modern city of concrete and glass, and many conference facilities. Amongst
the images of a vast modern city is one incongruous image of a deer being
petted.
[We notice that no one has said anything about normalisation for
quite a while and wonder if this has now been forgotten about.]
Anyway,
Monaco says that we are lucky to have a choice of two places to go and it is a
shame that they are in competition. He asks Japan if it could defer its
invitation by one year, noting that we were in Shimonoseki only recently. Japan
says this is a special year and this is why the invitation applies to this year.
But he will relay the message to the Mayor.
The Chair ask for nominations
for the Chair and Vice Chair.
[Applause.]
Chile nominates the US for
chair and Japan for Vice Chair.
[More applause]
Bill Hogarth the new
Chairman, then thanks everyone and says something about an impasse and looks for
help to move on with the goals and objectives of the IWC. I guess I look forward
to it he says. and laughs.
[Applause]
Morimoto-san extends his thanks
too.
[Applause]
The St Kitts and Nevis Commissioner notes the
Greenpeace inflatable boat came ashore with placards and 10 protesters - and
just over a week ago Greenpeace had applied to come into the island's harbour
and the cabinet refused the request. Greenpeace said that their action would be
educational. But the government did not give any approval..
He continues
that Greenpeace was given notice that they could not dock but he claims that the
boat came into the harbour and this showed disrespect to the people of St Kitts
and Nevis. He does not know what will happen but national security is dealing
with the matter and the captain and crew have been asked to report to the police
station in the capital. He adds that he expects visitors to abide by the local
laws.
On the good side of this conference, St Kitts and Nevis now
expresses his profound gratitude for the Commission choosing to come here. He
goes on to say thank you to the Chairman, Commissioner Fischer, noting his
commitment to normalisation [ah there it is again]. Finally he wishes everyone a
safe journey.
Denmark notes that Henrich is retiring from his job at
home soon too and that he has known him for a long time. many he said would have
run screaming away from 21 years service at the IWC. He adds that Danish policy
is not recognised by all to be multi-dimensional and this is why we sit in the
middle. He says he will not ask him to take off his shirt to show all this scars
but there are many.
The US now comes forward to present him with a green
box. The US Commissioner and the retiring chair appeared to kiss during the
handing over of the gift but we were subsequently instructed that one actually
whispered in the ear of the other.
Heinrich says there is good and bad
about this organisation and that he feels he has been treated fairly, although
sometimes people have been very angry with him.. He will continue to follow
closely what goes on here (he notes it is hot stuff in the Danish press right
now). He also thanks the Secretariat. Every meeting he says we manage to agree
by consensus one thing.
Togo thanks everyone on the behalf of the
francophones and the Marshall Islands says this week has been a very productive
in its work on the conservation of marine mammals and now he offers a prayer.
but first a short story. This is the anniversary of the eviction of people from
Bikini Atoll. His granddaughter and others are 'nuclear refugees' - part of
their island was vaporised. Like the whales, his granddaughter has a right to
live. Sea level rise now threatens the Atoll, thus he preys that all of us that
are so passionate about the whales would reserve the same capacity in hearts and
souls for his granddaughter. We should subscribe to the conventions and
protocols that address climate change. ....
[Applause]
Mexico on the
behalf of the Spanish speakers thanks the Chair and St Kitts.[Applause]
Japan
does something similar.. [Applause] Oman thanks St Kitts and the Chair
[Applause].
Someone else says thanks and someone else and someone else
and...[scatterings of applause, growing weaker now..] and some more. [one or two
claps.].
The Chairman says thanks again and we are all here together in
the same boat (presumably not the Greenpeace one) and he brings the gavel down
and we are finished.
And now finally another ST Kitts
Declaration:
WE CONGRATULATE the UK, especially its Commissioner, Richard
Cowan, and its alternate Commissioner, Trevor Perfect, on their excellent
contributions - especially their work on that very difficult issue of welfare
matters - and extend similar sentiments to the delegations of New Zealand and
Australia;
WE ACKNOWLEDGE that this was a particularly difficult meeting
for many and that the Commission is now more divided than even before and that
the whales are caught in the middle of politics that have nothing to do with
them;
WE RECOGNISE the fine work by our colleagues in the Whale Watch
Coalition, including the Environmental Investigation Agency;
WE ALSO
RECOGNISE the hard work of many colleagues and friends in the Scientific
Committee - much of which goes unrecognised but which underpins whale
conservation worldwide;
WE THANK the IWC secretariat for their kind
assistance, wit and wisdom.
| 
