Chicago Tribune: "Arctic Claims are Poles Apart"

b3zdomny · #1 (**permalink**) 08-25-2007, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Russian flag-planting a signal of global race for vast oil, gas deposits
By Tom Hundley Tribune foreign correspondent

August 24, 2007 TROMSO, Norway -- Not since 1925, when local hero Roald Amundsen set off from here on his first attempt to fly over the North Pole, has there been so much excitement in Tromso, a picturesque port that has long been used as a staging area for Arctic exploration.

The buzz began early this month when an expedition led by Russian lawmakers used a miniature submarine to plant a Russian flag on the seabed 2 miles under the North Pole, symbolically staking a claim to the vast mineral and energy wealth that lies under the ice cap.

That ruffled feathers in Canada, another country with Arctic ambitions...

complete story here *

* http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/n...ck=1&cset=true

BZM · #2 (**permalink**) 08-28-2007, 08:35 AM

Thanks for sharing the article. Yes, it seems all a joke when the Russians do it. Everyone seems to have a good laugh at their expense and then quietly they create their own expedition:

Quote:

"This isn't the 15th Century," scoffed Foreign Minister Peter McKay, referring to a time when explorers claimed whole continents for God and king.

But a week later, Prime Minister Stephen Harper visited Canada's far north and announced plans to build two military bases in its polar regions. And now two more claimants to the Arctic seas, the U.S. and Denmark, have launched their own polar mapping expeditions.

By the way, this google news link will take you to the article with no need to register at the Chicago Tribune:
http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t...3ga8LfgUq-r8Xg