MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Antarctic Treaty half a century celebration this week in Buenos Aires
Signatories of the Antarctic Treaty would celebrate the pact's 50th anniversary here on June 23 while attending the treaty's 34th consultative meeting, Argentine Foreign Ministry said Friday.
The June 20-July 1 event will gather top officials from most of the treaty's 48 signatories, and the topics include scientific cooperation, protection of the environment and tourism in the Antarctic region, it said.
The treaty, effective since 1961, was a result of successful multilateral and diplomatic exercises by the international community, the ministry said.
Argentina was one of the original 12 nations with scientists active in Antarctica that negotiated the treaty in 1959, and has hosted the treaty's permanent secretariat since 2004.
Categories:
Environment, Politics, Antarctica, Argentina.
Top Comments
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Read all comments“ .... with scientists active in Antarctica ...”
Jun 20th, 2011 - 07:17 am 0From what I've read here before, most of Argentina's 'scientists' wear a uniform and don't actually do much science lol.
The treaty doesn't say demilitarised, it speaks of hostile military activity being prohibited by the agreement signed by those present.
Jun 20th, 2011 - 10:40 am 0Wiki records only one occasion of a country breaking the 'military action' clause of this global Treaty.
They were, of course, summarily removed, though there remain the tears and tantarums.
Or to quote Article 1 in its entirety:
Jun 20th, 2011 - 01:23 pm 0“1. Antarctica shall be used for peaceful purposes only. There shall be prohibited, inter alia, any measures of a military nature, such as the establishment of military bases and fortifications, the carrying out of military maneuvers, as well as the testing of any type of weapons.
2. The present Treaty shall not prevent the use of military personnel or equipment for scientific research or for any other peaceful purposes.”
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