[Vision2020] Canada Upping Arctic Presence

[Matt Decker]

Tom,

In the fine words of the movie Canadian Bacon, "give us the oil pronto or 
else we'll level Toronto".

Matt


>From: "Tom Hansen" <thansen at moscow.com>
>To: "Moscow Vision 2020" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
>Subject: [Vision2020] Canada Upping Arctic Presence
>Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2007 16:21:01 -0700
>
>First Iraq.  Then Iran.  Now Canada.
>
>Canada intends upon preserving its sovereign right over the Northwest
>Passage which is estimated to contain access to "25 percent of the world's
>undiscovered oil and gas."
>
> >From the July 10, 2007 edition of the Spokesman Review -
>
>"U.S. Ambassador David Wilkins has criticized Harper's promise to defend 
>the
>Arctic, claiming the Northwest Passage as 'neutral waters.' But Wilkins
>declined to comment on Monday, said U.S. Embassy spokesman James Foster."
>
>---------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Canada upping Arctic presence
>
>U.S.: Oil-rich area is international territory
>Rob Gillies
>Associated Press
>July 10, 2007
>
>TORONTO - Canada announced plans Monday to increase its Arctic military
>presence in an effort to assert sovereignty over the Northwest Passage - a
>potentially oil-rich region the United States claims is international
>territory.
>
>Prime Minister Stephen Harper said six to eight patrol ships will guard 
>what
>he says are Canadian waters. A deep water port will also be built in a
>region the U.S. Geological Survey estimates has as much as 25 percent of 
>the
>world's undiscovered oil and gas.
>
>"Canada has a choice when it comes to defending our sovereignty over the
>Arctic. We either use it or lose it. And make no mistake, this government
>intends to use it," Harper said. "It is no exaggeration to say that the 
>need
>to assert our sovereignty and protect our territorial integrity in the 
>North
>on our terms have never been more urgent."
>
>U.S. Ambassador David Wilkins has criticized Harper's promise to defend the
>Arctic, claiming the Northwest Passage as "neutral waters." But Wilkins
>declined to comment on Monday, said U.S. Embassy spokesman James Foster.
>
>As global warming melts the passage - which now is only navigable during a
>slim window in the summer - the waters are exposing unexplored resources
>such as oil, fishing stocks and minerals, and becoming an attractive
>shipping route. Commercial ships can shave off some 2,480 miles from Europe
>to Asia compared with current routes through the Panama Canal.
>
>The disputed route runs from the Atlantic to the Pacific through the Arctic
>archipelago. It gained historical fame among European explorers who longed
>to find the shorter route to Asia but found it rendered inhospitable by ice
>and weather.
>
>Canadians have long claimed the waters. But their government has generally
>turned a blind eye to the United States, which has sent naval vessels and
>submarines through what it considers an international strait.
>
>The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says the ice cap is
>warming faster than the rest of the planet and ice is receding partly due 
>to
>greenhouse gases.
>
>"The ongoing discovery of the north's resource riches coupled with the
>potential impact of climate change has made the region a growing area of
>interest and concern," Harper said.
>
>Professor Anthony D'Amato, who teaches international law at Northwestern
>University, said Canada's attempt to secure future economic gains as the
>area thaws and becomes more navigable was unlikely to change the
>international community's view of sovereignty in the area.
>
>"For Canada to now come in and take advantage of the ice break-up is just
>unacceptable," said D'Amato. "Just because there's a change in the weather
>doesn't mean there's a change in the law."
>
>---------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Seeya round town, Moscow.
>
>Tom Hansen
>Moscow, Idaho
>
>"We're a town of about 23,000 with 10,000 college students. The college
>students are not very active in local elections (thank goodness!)."
>
>- Dale Courtney (March 28, 2007)
>
>
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