§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the British claim to the sovereignty of the British Antarctic territory is in land dependent upon the Antarctic treaty of December 1959; and whether it is the position of Her Majestry's Government that the Argentine as a contracting party has observed the terms of that treaty.
§ Mr. PymBritish sovereignty in the British Antarctic Territory is dependent on discovery and acts of administration. It is not dependent on the Antarctic Treaty although article IV of that treaty protects our position from erosion by the acts of others as long as the treaty is in force. Inspections carried out under the treaty support the conclusion that Argentina is observing the terms of the treaty.