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 You are in: Under Secretary for Political Affairs > Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs > Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Releases > Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Fact Sheets > 2002
Fact Sheet
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce
Washington, DC
May 15, 2002

Iceland Rejoining International Whaling Commission

Iceland joined the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and adhered to the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling on March 10, 1947, but withdrew from the Convention on June 30, 1992. Prior to that time, Iceland had been bound to observe the moratorium on commercial whaling.

On June 8, 2001, Iceland announced its intention to rejoin the IWC, but with a formal "reservation" to the commercial whaling moratorium found in paragraph 10(e) of the Convention's Schedule.

The United States took the position that the Icelandic reservation constituted a proposed amendment to the Schedule and had no legal effect until accepted by a vote of a three-fourths majority of the IWC members.

The United States believes that a country leaving the IWC, then rejoining with a reservation, could undermine the effectiveness of the organization and could set a precedent for similar actions in other fisheries organizations.

At the IWC meeting in London last July, member countries voted by simple majority not to accept Iceland's reservation. Because Iceland's rejoining was conditioned on its reservation, Iceland was afforded observer status only. The effect of the IWC's action was to exclude Iceland as a member and to preclude it from voting.

Iceland now proposes to amend its reservation with a declaration that it will not exercise its reservation to the moratorium on commercial whaling as long as progress is being made on the Revised Management Scheme (RMS) and, once adopted, that progress is made on lifting the commercial whaling moratorium. If it views no progress on the RMS, then it could exercise its reservation and resume commercial whaling.

The United States encourages Iceland to rejoin the IWC, but cannot accept that its adherence is conditioned on a reservation to the commercial whaling moratorium. The decision to resume commercial whaling would still be completely at Iceland's discretion, rather than through action by the IWC. The United States would like Iceland to rejoin the IWC without a reservation, and to work within the organization to achieve its national objectives.



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