Iceland accepted as full member of IWC
Iceland accepted as full member of IWC
High North News (14.10.02): After two years of debate, Iceland today finally became a fully-recognised member of the International Whaling Commission (IWC).
The decision was made at a Special Meeting of the IWC today in Cambridge, UK.
"We are very happy that this issue has been settled, and we hope to contribute constructively to the future work of the IWC," said Stefan Asmundsson, Iceland's IWC Commissioner.
Iceland's membership was accompanied by a reservation to the moratorium on commercial whaling. This means that Iceland is free to legally resume whaling, like Norway. However it promised not to start commercial whaling before 2006, unless the IWC gives Iceland a whaling quota.
This is the third time in the last two years that Iceland
has rejoined the IWC, but the first time it has been
officially recognised as a member with full voting rights
and their reservation to the moratorium accepted.