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Russia says won't stand still in race for Arctic
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 26 - 03 - 2009


Russia will not allow itself to
be left behind in the race to exploit the resources of the
Arctic now being opened up by global warming, Reuters cited the Kremlin's
special representative for the region as saying in an interview.
Scientists say the ice is receding so fast that drilling for
oil and gas high in the Arctic will soon become routine and
cargo ships could sail between the Atlantic and Pacific along a
new shipping lane much shorter than the routes used now.
Those lucrative prospects have unleashed fierce competition
between nations with Arctic coastlines -- led by the United
States and Russia -- to assert their influence.
"Russia's national interest lies there," said Artur
Chilingarov, who was last year appointed presidential envoy for
international cooperation in the Arctic and Antarctic.
International law states that the five states with an Arctic
Ocean coastline -- Canada, Denmark via Greenland, Norway, Russia
and the United States -- have a 320 km (200 mile) economic zone
north of their borders. But Russia is claiming a larger slice
based on its contention that the seabed under the Arctic is a
continuation of the Siberian continental shelf.
But Russia is not waiting for that issue to be settled to
expand its presence in the Arctic. Anticipating an increase in
international traffic through the so-called Northern Sea Route
as the ice melts, it is drafting legislation that will
consolidate its control over who uses the route.
The draft law allows Russia to block foreign military
vessels, bar entry to commercial ships it deems unsafe for
navigation, levy fees and, depending on the ice conditions,
require ships to use Russian pilots and ice-breakers.


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