MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Spanish King promises Antarctic conservation support.

Spain's King Juan Carlos who last Saturday in Punta Arenas ended his official four days state visit to Chile said that visiting Spanish and Chilean scientific posts in Antarctica had reinforced his commitment to keep working for the conservation of the icebound continent.

Upon his return to Punta Arenas in a Chilean Air Force Hercules and shortly before leaving for Madrid the Spanish monarch said he was "very pleased" with the visit and praised the work of scientists and personnel stationed in Antarctica.

"You have to see and be in the field to asses the conditions and determination with which scientists and other staff are working", underlined Juan Carlos adding that, as he had promised a few years ago, he's very much committed to obtaining more research resources for the Antarctic operations in Juan Carlos I and Gabriel de Castilla bases, as well as Caleta Cierva in the mainland of the Antarctic continent which, because of time and climate conditions, he was unable to visit.

"I slept (only) three hours, but I'm not tired because everything has been so moving; I've been longing for this trip and it's been quiet some time since I've felt so good" said King Juan Carlos, who on Saturday night returned to Spain.

"It's not normal for a state visit to end in Antarctica but this is the first time, and there's always a first time, I'm very pleased I did so", remarked the King who before flying to the Chilean base of Presidente Eduardo Frei waiting for favourable weather conditions, had spent most of Friday with Chilean president Ricardo Lagos sailing along the Magellan Strait in the Chilean naval unit "Aquiles" with occasional helicopter over flights.

King Juan Carlos' Antarctic trip began late Friday evening at Chile's Eduardo Frei base, on King George Island, in the company of Chilean President Ricardo Lagos braving extreme sub zero temperatures. After a brief welcoming ceremony at the permanent Chilean village of Las Estrellas next to the base, President Lagos returned to the mainland while the monarch and his visiting delegation together with Chilean hosts boarded the icebreaker "Contralmirante Viel Toro" and sailed first to Deception Island, (King George island) named by those who searched in vain for the mythical treasure of the British privateer Sir Francis Drake, as the King himself recalled.

At the Gabriel de Castilla base, named after the Spanish explorer who discovered Antarctica in 1603, Juan Carlos met scientists and military officers working on some of the 18 Antarctic research projects being conducted by Spain. These projects are partially financed by the Spanish government with five million Euros annually plus resources from the Defence Ministry and several universities, Granada, Valencia, Madrid, Cadiz and Canarias. Spanish research is related to the ozone layer, climatic changes, volcanoes, seismology and the development of flora in extreme conditions.

Together with Spanish Science and Technology Minister Juan Costa, the King then visited the Antarctic support vessel "Las Palmas," which this year replaces the oceanographic research unit "Hesperides" currently being refurbished. A helicopter then flew him to the Juan Carlos I base on Livingston Island.

During his Antarctic incursion the Spanish monarch was accompanied by the mayor of Magallanes Region, Jaime Jelincic, Senator Sergio Fernández, Deputy Pedro Muñoz both Magallanes representatives, Chilean Air Force Commander Geneal Osvaldo Sarabia, Chilean Navy Commander Admiral Miguel Angel Vergara, Jose Retamales president of the Chilean Antarctic Institute and other outstanding Chilean scientists.