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Yokahama here we come.
 Last night, delegates were
whisked away to a reception with the Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis. Many
small buses toiled up the steep road leading to the top of Brimstone Hill where
the Georgian Fortress built by the British, now a world heritage site, was the
venue. There was a beautiful sunset and a fine view across the sea to the
neighbouring islands. A large tent had been filled with tables and chairs and
outside various stands provided food and drinks. A very loud ‘sugar band’ played
(we like our music loud here) and delegates struggled to talk. As the wind got
up, they also struggled to keep their food on their plates. Many delegates greet
each other with an enquiry as to whether or not they have yet been
‘normalised’.
Normalised or not, many delegates undoubtedly had a good
time and by the end of the evening much dancing was going on. Sore heads are
likely to be in attendance this morning.
Anyway, let us now start the
diary of the final day. As the tired WDCS team makes its way towards the Marriot
for the last time, we are again greeted by the bird with the ginger eyebrows
(the Antillean Bullfinch) and we step carefully to avoid many small centipedes
still busy doing something or other.
In the grand foyer of the Marriot
hotel a large naked welcome awaits us as ever. Delegates turn and trudge tiredly
along the corridor to the meeting room. Along the way inappropriate music plays
as ever (a couple of days ago it was Frank Sinatra singing Christmas carols);
today a calypso. Everyone finds themselves walking in step to the beat.
The first people in the meeting room along with the ‘early-bird’
delegates (and WDCS obviously) are members of the press corp and we see
representatives of Reuters and Australian news (who have taken up strategic
ownership of a side table originally intended for waters and glasses, and the
roving reporter from the BBC – who is roving. “Excuse me” he calls over his
shoulder “I have to go and try and interview Joji Morshita” who can be seen on
the far side of the room.
Delegates gradually file into place and at
about a quarter past nine the gavel is deployed and the last day begins. There
are a few ominous green working papers in the pigeon holes this morning. These
include a resolution on ‘French as a Working Language of the Commission’ and
‘Supplemental Financial Support for hosting IWC 58’. The latter, if adopted,
would award £386, 406 to the Government of St Kitts and Nevis. The rationale for
this is that the local Government has been unable to meet some of the costs
associated with hosting the meeting, due to the recent collapse of its sugar
industry.
We start with the discussion about the proposal in Resolution
IWC/58/22 Rev that full simultaneous translation services should be provided
into French and English. [Traditionally, the Commission has only conducted its
work in English but there are now many French speakers.]
Many
French-speaking nations speak in favour but Germany, Chile and others (also
non-first-language English speakers of course) are less sure.
Outside it
is cloudy. Somewhere nearby many beautiful fish swim around reefs, turtles are
hauling themselves laboriously ashore to lay their eggs, frigate birds and
pelicans soar overhead and generally normal Caribbean island life goes on. A
small troop of green monkeys have descended from Timothy Hill to drink from the
water in the swimming pool at the back of the hotel (maybe they like the hint of
chlorine). It’s another busy day for the troop – a little light foraging and
tree swinging, followed by a gentle roam through the old sugar cane
plantation….
Sorry, seem to have drited off there. Anyway, back in the
meeting room the IWC Secretariat have produced their own proposal for
translation facilities in Anchorage, Alaska, where the next meeting will be.
This seems to be acceptable.
Many speakers later, Japan proposes to amend
the ‘French’ resolution. The debate drags on…..the US does not like the
amendments which he finds unclear. After much discussion (featuring quite a few
languages, including a brief outbreak of Dutch), it is agreed to look at a
revised resolution after lunch. So, there is a vote coming.
 There is a coffee break and although there are no
biscuits, apparently the Greenpeace vessel, Arctic Sunrise, which has been
parked at the next island is now in St Kitts waters. We shall no doubt hear more
about this before we leave. (The scribe wonders if they are bringing the
biscuits.)
We canter on with the report of the Financial and
Administration report which looks, amongst other things at recalculated arrears
of membership fees and the budget for annual meetings. This last point links to
the request from the host island for £386,406. In the F+A committee various
countries have already commented on this; some are clearly not keen if it would
mean a rise in the annual fees and they believe that when St Kitts and Nevis
undertook to take on the meeting they undertook to take on the full
costs.
The local commissioner now presents the St Kitts and Nevis
proposal. He speaks of the closure of the sugar cane industry on this island,
rising oil prices and the unforeseen costs of the meeting. The government and
the management of the hotel are still debating the costs of the meeting. He
concludes by asking for funds from the IWC reserves (which are apparently quite
healthy) and amends his request to ask for only £200,000, noting that this could
come from the reserves without doing any harm.
After this quite long
speech the US takes the floor. He says that the proposal is very sensitive
because anyone speaking against this will be seen as denying the rights and
needs of small developing nations, but nonetheless he is worried about drawing
the reserves down – and these might be needed for other matters (he lists some).
He is also asks if there is a precedent for paying costs after the
event.
The IWC Chair says that he is neutral and there is no precedent
that he is aware of. The Secretariat explain that the reserves are now back at
target level.
The room is very quiet. There is some tension in the air.
Grenada notes that this is not a St Kitts conference but an IWC one. She
comments that St Kitts agreed to host this meeting in good faith [as if it was
asked to do so and graciously acceded. In fact, France was lined up to host this
meeting but its offer was challenged at the 2004 meeting and in a secret ballot,
was beaten by St Kitts’ counter offer]. She mentions the collapse of the sugar
industry and the role of the European Union in this. What, she adds, is the
purpose of a reserve fund if it is not to address an emergency, as in this case.
New Zealand asks for details of the reserves policy. The Secretariat
says that the use of reserves is at the discretion of the Commission.
Brazil gently takes the floor to state a concern about setting a
precedent that any extra debt incurred will be met. She cannot support this
proposal.
Argentina, via its distinguished alternate Commissioner, says
that a country taking on the commitment to run a meeting must accept the full
responsibilities and he associates with Brazil.
The Mexican Commissioner
fears that he will ‘go extinct’ if he support this proposal.
Russia says
that the situation in St Kitts is a crisis and that part of the reserve should
be spent.
The US comes to the floor again. He says he does not want to
take up the Commission’s time. This is an emergency for St Kitts but the payment
requested would push reserves below the target level. He encourages countries
that can contribute to St Kitts to do so.
Dominica associates with those
in favour of awarding St Kitts the money.
Australia has a great deal of
sympathy for St Kitts but associates with Argentina. The prose of the reserve is
to buffer the IWC’s mechanisms against shocks not the member countries.
There is a pause as much consultation occurs up on the podium. The
Chairman then asks that given the delicacy of this matter, he would like people
to discuss this matter over lunch and come back to it.
St Kitts suggests
that we should get on with it. The Chairman withdraws his suggestion.
A
vote is looming.
Murmuring occurs and then the vote is called. The vote
is mainly predictable. China votes no. Cote d’Ivoire and Panama are absent.
Denmark abstains. Iceland votes yes. India abstains. Kiribati abstains, as does
Morocco. Norway says yes. Oman, no. Japan is in favour.
The camera is
showing the face of the St Kitts commissioner as the vote is calculated. He is
grinning.
30 in support 30 against and 4 abstentions. It is not
adopted.
St Kitts thanks those that voted for his proposal and says that
in future governments will look at costs. He wishes the conference continued
success.
The US wishes to explain its vote. He regrets how divisive this
vote has been, although he understands why. He commits $30,000 to assist St
Kitts. St Kitts thanks him.
We remind readers that this is not an
official or verbatim report but we try here to capture the essence of what is
being said. We do not report each and every comment. We welcome comments and
corrections (and biscuits).
Lunch comes and goes. Sweating is moderate.
Food is rare. Many delegates have been packing and running around with boxes and
bags. Others are noticed setting off on expeditions and tours of the
island.
The Artic Sunrise can be seen about a mile straight off the
Marriott sitting in rough seas as a brisk wind blows across the
island.
And so we take our last stroll along the
corridor-of-inappropriate-music, the Japanese Alternate Commissioner, Joji
Morshita, walks side by side with the US Commissioner, William Hogarth, chatting
quietly and then they turn into the icy cool of the meeting area.
Post-lunch: the Ivory Coast (which was missing during the St Kits vote)
takes the floor to provide comment on the vote.
The Chair says that he
was absent; he can say how he would have voted but it will have no impact on the
vote, the agenda item is closed.
Ivory Coast says that he would have
voted with St Kitts.
We move on to more of the F+A report and the matter
of where the Secretariat should be located. Many Commissioners favour it moving
from Cambridge in the UK.
Next, we consider the budget of the Scientific
Committee and Russia objects to funding of the work on ‘falsified Soviet data’
and also asks for it to be deleted (item 6 in appendix 10). Australia and the UK
find this difficult. Brazil reminds the Commission that such data are need for
the RMP. Russia says that he would like a vote.
The US agrees with
Australia and will look for funds to do this work. In the end a compromise is
found with Russia and data should still flow but it will not come from the
central pot of money.
The F+A report next leads us to the issue of the
involvement of civil society (otherwise known as Non-Governmental Organisations
or NGOs, like WDCS) in the work of the IWC. One aspect of this is the fees that
we have to pay (over £800 a year) and how many delegates can attend from each
NGO.
Australia suggests that the paper produced on this should go to the
F+A committee next year as we do not have time to do it now.
The IWC
Chair says ‘It is so done’ and we move on.
Outside birds are singing,
monkeys chattering, fish swimming….
… but we have to come back to the
translation issue.
But first tea… and of course the big question is will
there be any biscuits.
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