NSW: Greepeace chips Rudd on whaling

AAP General News (Australia)
12-20-2007
NSW: Greepeace chips Rudd on whaling

By Paul Carter

SYDNEY, Dec 20 AAP - Greenpeace has joined the federal coalition in criticising Prime
Minister Kevin Rudd's approach to anti-whaling monitoring, while claiming Japan is planning
a new "super" whale hunting vessel.

Greenpeace today agreed with the federal Opposition's contention that Mr Rudd should
have spoken to his Japanese counterpart about his plans to monitor the Japanese whale
hunt.

Opposition environment spokesman Greg Hunt said Mr Rudd had been diplomatically remiss
in not speaking to anyone in the Japanese government about his Southern Ocean plan.

Mr Hunt said Mr Rudd should call Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda to explain the move.

Greenpeace Australia Pacific CEO Steve Shallhorn told reporters "head of government"

communication was vital, as it appeared Japan was strengthening its whale hunting capacity.

"It is appropriate for the Australian prime minister to pick up the phone and talk
to the Japanese prime minister," he said.

"I think that the point could be made even more forcefully about Australia's opposition
to whaling in the Southern Ocean if it is a head of government to head of government communication."

Mr Shallhorn said Japan was planning to build a new whaling factory ship, with three
times the capacity of its current whale hunter, the Nisshin Maru.

"Greenpeace has discovered that the Fisheries Agency of Japan plans to replace the
aged and ailing Nisshin Maru factory ship with a proposed 'super' whaling factory ship,"

he said.

Mr Shallhorn said the new ship, with a 6,000 tonne whalemeat payload, committed Japan
to whaling for another 40 years.

He remained cautious of reports Japan would abandon plans to kill up to 50 humpback
whales in the Southern Ocean this summer.

US Ambassador to Tokyo, John Thomas Schieffer, was reported overnight as saying Japan
was on the verge of agreeing to abandon the humpback kill because of international concerns.

"It is yet to be confirmed by the Japanese government," Mr Shallhorn said today before
Tokyo harpooned the idea.

Japan said later it had made no agreement to stop hunting humpback whales, denying
the comments from the US ambassador.

"There is no (new) written, diplomatic agreement between Japan and the United States
over the current specific whaling mission ... and whaling in general," said Tomohiko Taniguchi,
spokesman for the Japanese foreign ministry.

AAP pc/hn/cjh/de

KEYWORD: WHALING GREENPEACE

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