ANTARCTICA: Argentina Denies Secret Pact with Britain

By Marcela Valente Reprint | | Print |

Marcela Valente

BUENOS AIRES, Aug 16 2001 (IPS) - The Argentine government denied Wednesday that it had signed a secret accord with Britain to close half of its six permanent bases in Antarctica, and gave assurances that all of the bases would be kept open.

According to a report published Wednesday by the Buenos Aires daily Clarín, which was debunked by local authorities, London promised, in exchange for the closure of three Argentine bases, to agree to the installation of the headquarters of the Antarctic Treaty in Buenos Aires.

Argentina and Britain are two of the 12 original states party to the Antarctic Treaty.

Clarín said sources with the Argentine army and Defence Ministry and the British government had confirmed the withdrawal of the bases, which was to be justified on budgetary grounds.

But according to the newspaper, the real reason for the closure of the bases is an agreement reached with London a month ago.

However, Angel Molinari, director of the National Office on the Antarctic, which falls under the Defence Ministry, told IPS that while several options for cutting defence spending were being studied, there was no plan to close any of the Antartic bases, “and especially not on the basis of an agreement with, or a demand put forth by, Britain.”

Suspicions were raised because for nine years London, which fought Buenos Aires in 1982 over sovereignty over the Malvinas/Falklands islands, located near Antarctica, had refused to back Buenos Aires’ bid to become the site of the headquarters for the Antarctic Treaty, which sums up international legislation on the continent.

As a condition for giving Argentina its vote, Britain demanded a reduction of Argentina’s military presence in Antarctica, even though the treaty permits the use of unarmed military personnel for research or other peaceful purposes.

Temperatures in Antarctica never rise above zero degrees celsius, with severe windchills caused by winds of more than 200 kms an hour at any time of the year. A full 95 percent of the surface is covered by a permanent ice cap.

Molinari explained that Argentina posted military personnel in Antarctica for two main reasons: the armed forces have specialists who are highly skilled in operating in inhospitable areas; and the military’s contribution to the budget of the bases helps fund the research carried out by local and foreign scientists.

“The cost of maintaining a private staff would not be the same,” said the official.

The British government suddenly announced last month that it would reverse its refusal to vote in favour of Buenos Aires as the headquarters for the Antarctic Treaty – “an enormous recognition of our experience in the Antarctic,” said Molinari, who added that the new headquarters would open next year.

Argentina’s bases, like those of the rest of the countries with a presence on the continent, are concentrated in the Antarctic peninsula, the area closest to the Americas.

Argentina is presently experiencing a grave financial crisis that led the Fernando de la Rúa administration to adopt measures last month aimed at eliminating the fiscal deficit. Under the new austerity plan, the state will only spend what it collects in taxes each month, without resorting to external sources of financing.

Among the proposals currently being studied to cut the armed forces’ budget are drastic measures like merging the navy and the coast guard, which comes under the Interior Ministry.

Molinari said the annual budget of Argentina’s Antarctic bases amounted to around three million dollars, and he admitted that the continent lacked resources that could even partially compensate the public spending.

Antarctica’s distance from the Americas and the difficulties involved in reaching the icebound continent make it impossible to foresee profitable exploitation of any resources found there.

But Molinari said there were no plans to close any of the bases within the next two years, although the military staff would be reduced.

Argentina has six permanent and seven temporary bases in the Antarctic. According to Clarín, three of the permanent bases are to be closed down.

The Antarctic Treaty, which went into force in 1961, led to the renunciation of all claims to territorial sovereignty over the continent, and declared any future claims “inadmissible.”

As signatories to the treaty, Argentina and Britain have both voice and vote in any decisions reached. Besides the 12 full members, 15 countries have consultative status and 17 others have acceded to the treaty and may attend consultative meetings as observers.

The Madrid Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, which came into effect in 1991, declared Antarctica a natural reserve, free of arms, nuclear waste and other pollution.

The bases on the Antarctic peninsula carry out important reserach on key global environmental issues, like the thinning of the ozone layer. The hole in the ozone layer stretches over most of the continent.

Researchers are also studying global warming in Antarctica, where the ice contains information on the history of the earth’s climate. The continent itself is jeopardised by the phenomenon, because the ice around the edges of the Antarctic peninsula has been melting in the past few years.

In addition, studies are being carried out on the behavior of glaciers, marine biology, and the prospect of exploiting potable water on the continent, since the polar ice caps constitute the planet’s greatest fresh water reserves.