Whaling vote setback for Japan

[4me2]

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=629 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=3>Whaling vote setback for Japan

</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=416><!-- S BO --><!-- S IIMA --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=203 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD> The meeting is marked by sharp division

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- E IIMA -->A measure proposed by Japan to resume regulated commercial whaling has been defeated at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting.

Japan lost a vote on its so-called revised management scheme by 29 to 23 with five states abstaining.

It is the country's second defeat on a major measure it has proposed to the IWC, which is holding its annual meeting in Ulsan, South Korea.

Japan said its scheme would move forward sustainable commercial whaling.

The proposal was to involve monitors stationed on whaling fleets and testing of whales that were captured.

But critics said the proposal had loopholes which would have made it easy to violate.

The scheme needed a three-fourths majority to pass. The five abstentions included countries that have voted with Japan on other issues at the commission.

Pro-whaling states were dealt a blow on Monday when a Japanese proposal to change voting procedures to a secret ballot was defeated by a three-vote margin.

A resumption of commercial whaling after a 19-year moratorium is considered unlikely. But if Japan obtained a simple majority backing its proposal for a non-binding measure supporting limited commercial catches, it might demonstrate that opinion among commission members had turned in favour of sanctioning commercial hunts. <!-- E BO -->
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4114368.stm

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[ABCMan]

like it will make the slightest difference to japan who will just continue to do "research" whaling