Antarctica (Hansard, 9 May 1990)

§ 23. Mr. Maxton
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he intends to support the Australian and French Governments' proposals for a conservation convention for Antarctica.

§ 86. Mr. Murphy
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will be supporting the Australian Government and French Government proposals for a conservation convention for Antarctica.

§ Mr. Sainsbury
The French and Australian proposals will be a useful contribution to the discussions at the special Antarctic treaty consultative meeting to be held in November in Santiago. We are preparing our own proposals for that meeting about which we intend to consult our Antarctic treaty partners.

§ 42. Mr. Hoyle
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many countries have now ratified the convention on the regulation of Antarctic mineral resource activities; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Sainsbury
No countries have yet ratified this convention.
172W

§ 62. Mr. David Marshall
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received in connection with the forthcoming meeting of Antarctic treaty parties to discuss protection of Antarctica; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Sainsbury
On 3 May the French ambassador and the Australian high commissioner left with us a joint Franco/Australian paper setting out their views about a possible agreement on the protection of the Antarctic environment.

§ 76. Mr. Eadie
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with representatives of other European Community Governments concerning the forthcoming meeting of Antarctic treaty parties to discuss protection of Antarctica.

§ Mr. Sainsbury
Consultations at official level with representatives of EC Governments signatories to the Antarctic treaty took place in the course of the XVth Antarctic treaty consultative meeting in Paris last October. Since then there have been further bilateral consultations at official level with France and the Federal Republic of Germany. The French authorities have also informed us of their joint proposal, with the Australian Government, for a new agreement on the conservation of the Antarctic.