The Cold War In The North Pole

The estimates are that 9 billion barrels of oil exist here plus natural gas, metals and minerals. Also at stake is the rights to control the Northwest Passage, currently claimed by Canada and subject to Canadian environmental laws. Under the United Nations Law of the Sea treaty, any state with an Arctic coastline that wishes to stake a claim to a greater share of the Arctic must lodge its submission with the U.N.'s Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. Russia lodged a claim with the UN commission in 2001. The UN responded a year later by recommending Russia make a revised submission with additional research. This summer, Moscow said it had evidence its continental shelf includes the entire region and planted its flag. Now the UN must decide if its "evidence" is valid. http://communities.canada.com/financialpost/blogs/francis/archive/2007/11/09/the-cold-war-in-the-north-pole.aspx

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