Facing certain ejection from the annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission, a host of prominent international environmental organizations apologized to six Caribbean nations for depicting them as "lapdogs" of the Japanese.

While the Barbados-based Caribbean Conservation Association denounced the organizations responsible for "the offensive remarks," the apology didn't satisfy all of the Caribbean Commissioners who had complained to the IWC and got the body to threaten to expel several groups if they didn't apologize after the statements caused an uproar at the 55th annual IWC meeting in Berlin .

"I don't think what many of them eventually did was to apologize," said Claris Charles , Grenada 's Minister of Agriculture. "It is true that some of them did apologize and said they were unhappy with the remarks and disassociated themselves from them. Freedom of speech comes with a responsibility, and I think that the countries at the 55th annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission felt that way and demanded an apology."

ECO, a newsletter of more than a dozen major international, national and regional environmental groups in Europe , North America and the Caribbean , published an article which contained a cartoon depicting a Japanese man in a chair with a Black dog in his lap. The caption read: "His Excellency the lap dog! Millions of the master's yen buy many votes."

Commissioners from every country, including the U.S. , Britain , Benin , Guinea , the Russian Federation , China , Nicaragua , Panama and South Korea , condemned the article and the cartoon, whose key message was that the Caribbean states had sold their votes to the Japanese.

"It was quite offensive, and I feel that very strongly," said Rolland Schmitten, the U.S. Commissioner.  Valentin Ilyashenko, the Russian Federation 's senior delegate, shared that sentiment. "Although we have seen and heard name calling before at IWC meetings from some of the anti-whaling environmental group, this particular statement was extremely offensive and insulting," Ilyashenko said. "We have been the victims of such abuse in the past, and we share the Caribbean 's anger."

Some of the Commissioners, especially those from the Caribbean and Africa , branded the article as "racist to the core" and, therefore, couldn't be allowed to slide.  They directed much of their anger at the Eastern Caribbean Coalition for Environmental Awareness, an affiliate of CCA, because ECCEA, which subsequently apologized, was quoted extensively in the offending article, portraying Antigua, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts-Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent by name as countries which had sold out to Japan.

"The cartoon and the article were racist," said Charles. "Why would you paint a picture of an Oriental and then the other figure is painted in black. If you didn't feel that Black people were siding with the Japanese, then you wouldn't use a black figure. It was extremely distasteful for an organization from the Caribbean , one which operates in the region and enjoys the privileges of the Caribbean , to do something like that."

Dr. Joth Singh, CCA's Executive Director, said that he was appalled that environmental groups, including a CCA affiliate, would publish such an attack on the Caribbean and warned that the incident could set back the region and its NGOs in their drive to influence change.

"It was really very unfortunate," he said. "You don't succeed in getting people to change their thinking or their decisions by attacking them. I think what has happened is that everyone was offended and, being a person from the Caribbean , I was also offended by what was published. I know that all of the Commissioners were right to ask for an apology, which has been provided. I strongly criticize and condemn the action of publishing such an attack. It was very, very inappropriate. It sets us back a few steps in terms of looking at what are the options within the Caribbean ."

In its statement of regret, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, which funds some of CCA's activities, said it "was not responsible for producing the editorial, and we wish to disassociate ourselves from the form in which it appeared. We would like to reiterate our regret for any offence that may have been caused."

Greenpeace also made it clear that it "was not involved in composing, editing or reviewing any material contained" in the offending ECO newsletter and stated that "had we been aware of the contents of the material, it would not have appeared in that form."

The World Wildlife Fund stated it, too, was "sorry for any offence taken" by the various countries, saying that if had known about the material "we would have declined to publish (it) in its current form."

More than a dozen organizations which were linked to ECO also apologized "for any offence caused" and disassociated "ourselves from any offending material."

With the International Whaling Commission hopelessly divided between pro and anti-whaling factions, the Caribbean 's attempt to make history fell short as nations voted along ideological lines.

Claris Charles , Grenada 's Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, along with a host of other IWC Commissioners had hoped to see her become the first woman elected vice chairman.  But, when the votes were counted, she had garnered 19 votes, seven less than Carlos Domingez, Spain 's top representative.

"In the end it came down to the fact that those who wish to prevent any resumption of commercial whaling had the votes, while those of us who advocate the sustainable use of the world's marine resources couldn't persuade some on the other side to see our point of view," said Charles. "It is a highly polarized situation where nothing changes. It is a great pity, because no matter what sort of influences or what discussions you have, nobody is influenced and the vote remains the same."

Indeed, in almost every vote, it was clear that the anti-whaling nations were voting as a bloc, and their strength carried the day.

Daven Joseph, Antigua's Commissioner,  who sought the vice-chairmanship position three years and lost, said afterwards that the outcome of the vote was unfortunate because "Ms. Charles has so much to offer, something that nations from different parts of the world recognized; and, as a woman from the Caribbean, she could make a difference" in the way how things were done in the Commission.  "She lost but she was an excellent candidate," he said.

Although it was a secret ballot, it is believed that the Grenada Minister received votes from the seven Caricom states - Antigua , Dominica , Belize , Grenada , St. Kitts-Nevis , St. Lucia and St. Vincent - as well as the support of Japan , the Russian Federation , China , Benin , Guinea , Nicaragua , Panama , the Solomon Islands , Norway , and Iceland . Two countries abstained.

"If there was anything that I was surprised about, it was that on a secret ballot two countries abstained," Charles said afterwards. "I am accustomed to the voting patterns in the IWC and, therefore, there is little or nothing that one can be surprised about. It has been happening since I attended the first IWC meeting in 2000."

Henrik Fischer , Denmark 's Commissioner and the new IWC Chairman, said that it was obvious that the organization was polarized, and he was hoping that the gap could be bridged in the next three years when he presides over its deliberations.

The Commission's next annual meeting is to be held in 2004 in Italy .

The Commission also agreed to hold the 2005 meeting in South Korea .

International Whaling Commission:
International Environmental Groups Face Ejection

By Tony Best

Berlin, June 18, 2003 (CNS NEWS)

Apologize or leave—that seems to be the option that the International Whaling Commission has given to some prominent international environmental organizations after they were accused of insulting several Caribbean and African nations at the current annual meeting of the IWC in Berlin by referring them to them as "lapdogs" of Japan.

As the clock winds down to Thursday's election in Berlin , the Caribbean states are stepping up their attempt to make history within the International Whaling Commission by getting a female Caribbean minister elected to a top IWC position.

Spurred on by representatives of Eastern Caribbean countries, Claris Charles , Grenada 's Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, is making a run for the Vice Chairmanship of the Commission, and Caribbean representatives at the 55th annual meeting in Berlin say they are gathering support for her candidacy.

"We have gotten an indication of increased support for Ms. Charles," said Eistein Louison, a junior Minister in Grenada 's Ministry of Agriculture, who is representing his country at the meeting. "Some states have said to us that they will support her. We are heartened by the response we are getting."

Daven Joseph, Antigua 's Commissioner, said he, too, was buoyed by the support the Caribbean was getting, and while he doesn't predict victory, he thinks her chances of becoming the first woman in the IWC's history to be elected to the number two position were very good.

According to the tradition of the IWC, the vice chairman moves up to the chairmanship when it becomes vacant.

In addition to the Caribbean member-states, Japan has committed itself to supporting the Grenada Minister, and she is also expected to be backed by Norway , Iceland , China , the Russian Federation , Panama , Nicaragua , South Korea , the Solomon Islands , Palau , Benin , and Guinea .

"She is an excellent candidate, and she should win," said Masayuki Komatsu , Japan 's alternate IWC Commissioner, who is also Director of the Resources and Environmental Research Division of the Fisheries Agency of his country's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

"It's about time that the IWC elect a woman, and the fact that Charles comes from the Caribbean should help to make a difference," added Komatsu, the author of a number of books on whaling, including his latest, Whales and the Japanese," which was released earlier this year.

Calixte George , St. Lucia 's Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, said that his country was backing his counterpart from Grenada .  "She knows the issues and the IWC," he said.

The Grenada Minister may have to go up against three candidates, all men from anti-whaling nations. Spain and the United Kingdom are rumored to be considering entering the race.

Dominica, Grenada, Antigua, St. Kitts-Nevis, St. Vincent, and St. Lucia suffered a setback at the Berlin meeting on Monday when the Commission declined by a vote of 25-20 to go along with a Caribbean proposal that secret balloting instead of a public roll call be used to decide certain issues.  "We regret and are disappointed that we didn't win that one," said Daven Joseph, Antigua 's Commissioner, who unsuccessfully sought the vice chairmanship about three years ago.

Less than a month ago, Caricom countries were successful in getting the United Nations to elect Julian Hunte, St. Lucia 's Minister of Foreign Affairs, to be the next president of the UN General Assembly.  It was the first time that a person from the Eastern Caribbean was chosen to head the body. Guyana 's Foreign Minister Samuel Insanally was the first diplomat from a Caricom country to serve in the prestigious position.

Seemingly stung by criticism of its veiled threat to launch a tourism boycott against Dominica , a German NGO may be pulling back, saying it was all the result of a misunderstanding.

While Lloyd Pascal, Dominica's Commissioner to the International Whaling Commission, remains adamant that a representative of Gesellschaft zu Rettung der Delphine, an organization dedicated to the protection of dolphins, had threatened his country because of its stance on the sustainable use of the world's marine resources, the Caribbean Conservation Association has denounced the threat, saying that it couldn't be justified in any shape or form.

"We were kind of surprised that the question we put was interpreted as a threat, because no threat was intended," Andrea Steffen, the woman accused of threatening the Eastern Caribbean island said through an interpreter, Fabian Ritter. "We were simply asking if Dominica had given any thought to a boycott of its tourist industry. We wanted to know if they had thought about such a boycott because of its voting at IWC meetings."

Steffen has spent some time in Dominica .

But Pascal, a former Minister of Agriculture, complained to the IWC during the opening of the Commission's 55th annual meeting in Berlin that his county was threatened once again because of its voting pattern at the Commission. His charge triggered negative reactions from other countries such as Japan , Nicaragua , St. Lucia , and Grenada , which complained about the excessive zeal of some NGOs and warned about the vulnerability of small countries to an act of "economic terrorism."

"It shows what our brothers and sisters in the Caribbean face as people from sovereign states when they stand up for their rights and express their positions at IWC meetings," said Miguel Marcenco, Director-General of Fisheries in Nicaragua, who, like Pascal, is a strong advocate of the sustainable utilization of marine resources, including whales.

"We join our Caribbean neighbors in insisting on a policy of sustainable use and for a secret ballot at IWC meetings," declared Marenco.

Dr. Joth Singh, Executive Director of the Barbados-based Caribbean Conservation Association, said that the threat to Dominica didn't come as a surprise to him, because of the way some foreign NGOs operate.

"We are not very surprised to hear that this may be happening," he said. "We recognize that the various countries which are anti-whaling or not supporting whaling would try to influence the vote of the Caribbean countries at the IWC meeting in Berlin. I would say that the Caribbean Conservation Association does not really support that type of way of getting the Caribbean countries to change their position. It should be a matter of providing them with the appropriate information so they can make informed decisions. 

"Certainly to threaten countries with regards to their economic situation is not a method the CCA condones or supports," Singh added. "We have expressed that view very, very clearly to the International Fund for Animal Welfare, with whom we have recently formed a partnership arrangement, indicating that our mode of operating is to provide the governments and the public within the Caribbean with the right information on the alternatives to whale hunting."

Pascal repeated his complaint Tuesday morning, saying that a woman from the NGO sought him out at the meeting in Germany and tried to get answers to several questions, one of which was how Dominica would feel if a tourism boycott was launched against it if the island-nation voted against the "Berlin Initiative," a plan designed to get the IWC to focus more attention on the protection of whales instead of on the management of the various species. The Initiative was approved by a 25-20 vote on Monday.

"We have been threatened before by international NGOs, such as Greenpeace and the International Wildlife Coalition, and we know a threat when we hear or see it," he told reporters. "Some countries and organizations believe that because we are experiencing some serious economic problems in Dominica and are on the verge of signing an agreement with the International Monetary Fund that we would bend to their threats and go along with their policies. But we are a sovereign nation."

As if to show its determination to follow its stated course, Dominica voted against the Berlin Initiative after the "threat" was made.

Calixte George , St. Lucia 's Minister of Agriculture, described the threat by the German NGO as a form of "economic terrorism."

With the International Whaling Commission paying increasing attention to the Eastern Caribbean , the region's lone whaling nation has put its legal house in order to meet international demands.

Edwin Snagg, St. Vincent's IWC Commissioner, has told the more than 50 nations that belong to the international body that just last week his country approved legislation, rules and regulations demanded by the Commission as a condition of giving the country an expanded quota of whales it could catch during the next few years.

"One of the pre-requisites to the quota that St. Vincent & the Grenadines was allocated in 2002 was that there should be aboriginal subsistence whaling regulations," he explained. "We have put those regulations in place. They were approved in cabinet last Friday. They make provisions for certain aspects of whaling and cover whaling permits; the closed season; certification of whalers; area and size restrictions of humpback whales; procedures for conducting whaling; and the use and monitoring of whale products."

Snagg made his statement after the Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling Panel of the IWC's Scientific Committee had reported to the 55th annual meeting in Berlin that the catching of two whales in March last year by Vincentians didn't pose any problems to the stock of humpback whales in the West Indies.

The United Kingdom had also asked if St. Vincent had lived up to its commitment to enact legislation that would provide for the effective management of whale stocks.

"In terms of management advice, the Committee agreed that if the humpback whales are part of the West Indies breeding population, this catch limit will not harm the stock," stated the panel.

Snagg said afterwards that the regulatory steps taken recently by his country "were consistent with the draft regulations deemed to be appropriate by the Commission" at its meeting in Japan last year.

"We have lodged the regulations with the Secretariat of the IWC," he said. "What this means is that we are in full compliance."

The regulatory steps were drawn up after considerable consultations with the country's whalers and others interested in the traditional and cultural activity, which dates back to at least 100 years in the Eastern Caribbean in general and St. Vincent in particular.

"I don't believe the new regulations will make any significant difference to how whaling is conducted," Snagg said. "There are certain stipulations now, like the question of whaling permits. As such, one has to apply to the Chief Fisheries Officer but, in truth and in fact, the whalers in Bequia would have had some good idea of what was coming in the regulations. There was consultation with the whalers of Bequia, and they agreed with what was in the regulations."

Snagg said he was disappointed that the IWC on Monday rejected the Caribbean 's appeal for the introduction of secret balloting in order to protect the region from economic threats issued by NGO.  

"We believe secret balloting is a democratic process, and it removes the possibility of threats and attempts at intimidation that are linked to the way the region votes at IWC meetings," he said.

"Economic terrorism" may be an emotive word, but some Eastern Caribbean countries are using it in Berlin to describe what they face from environmental NGOs, which disagree with their voting patterns at meetings of the International Whaling Commission.

Dominica, often called the "nature island" of the Caribbean, reported Sunday to the IWC that it had been threatened with a tourism boycott if it voted against a plan, the "Berlin Initiative," proposed by about 20 members of the IWC and designed to create a "conservation committee" within the international body that would oversee the protection of whales around the world.

"The threat was made by a woman who sought me out at the meeting and wanted to know if I would answer a series of questions which she had written in German," said Lloyd Pascal, a former Minister of Agriculture who is now Dominica 's IWC Commissioner.

"Among the many questions she wanted to raise was how I would feel if a tourism boycott was called against Dominica because of the way it participates in the IWC and if my position here was independent," explained Pascal. "It's the kind of economic terrorism to which many of us in the Caribbean have grown accustomed in recent years."

Pascal immediately drew the meeting's attention to the "threat" and later said that his country wouldn't be intimidated by the incident. And as if to show its determination, Dominica and four other Eastern Caribbean countries—Antigua, St. Kitts-Nevis, St. Vincent and St. Lucia— joined with Denmark, the Russian Federation, China, Japan, Benin, Guinea, Nicaragua, the Solomon Islands, Panama and 10 other nations in a failed attempt to block the creation of the Conservation Committee. Grenada declined to participate in the voting on the grounds that the Initiative was probably illegal under IWC rules and, therefore, it didn't want any part of the process. Grenada vigorously opposed the establishment of the Committee.

"We are not opposed to conservation, but we believe that the creation of the special Committee is not only wrong, but it doesn't conform to the rules and the regulations of the IWC," said Pascal. "These are the same kinds of threats that have gone on before. Dominica is the nature island of the Caribbean , dependent on agriculture and tourism. We have suffered greatly because of the initiatives in the World Trade Organization for our banana regime, our marketing in the United Kingdom . We have virtually lost that market along with the rest of the Windward Islands . We have lost our offshore banking, because Dominica was put on a blacklist [by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development] in Paris . Because of these factors, we are in a tight economic situation, and we are on the verge of signing an agreement with the International Monetary Fund."

Pascal said that some countries and NGOs believed that Dominica was "up to its knees" in financial trouble and was therefore vulnerable to threats. "The organizations think this is the best time to make further threats to get Dominica intimidated to the point where we will do their bidding by voting for a Berlin initiative" at the expense of the nation's sovereignty, he said.

"They are threatening us with a cutting off of aid and all of those kinds of things."

But Pascal wasn't alone in complaining about "economic terrorism."

Calixte George, St. Lucia's Minister of Agriculture who is attending his first IWC meeting, said that what happened to Dominica was tantamount to a threat of "economic terrorism," which he stated must be deplored and condemned.

"We in St. Lucia weren't threatened, but what took place was wrong," George said. "To my mind, it was a very dirty kind of act, a behind-the-scenes attack, which I would describe as economic terrorism. Some of the NGOs are very emotive on some of the issues. They don't rely on science. To be threatened simply isn't right."

The "Berlin Initiative" calls for the creation of a Committee that would prepare a "Conservation Agenda" to be considered at the IWC's next annual meeting in Italy in 2004.  All of the Eastern Caribbean spoke out against it, complaining that it was designed to divert the IWC's attention from its mandate of regulating commercial whaling.

"The IWC wasn't set up to get into the conservation of whales at the expense of strict management of the sustainable use of whale resources," said Eistein Louison, Parliamentary Secretary in Grenada's Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.

Cedric Liburd, St. Kitts-Nevis' Minister of Agriculture, who is leading his country's delegation, agreed with both Pascal and George. "It's a diversionary tactic away from what the IWC was established to do," he said.

Daven Joseph, Antigua's top representative and perhaps the Caribbean's most vocal advocate of the sustainable use of marine resources, said after the delegates voted by 25-20 to set up the "Conservation" panel that "it was a sad day for the IWC” and for those nations which believe that the world's resources should be utilized but not plundered and destroyed.

Although the meeting was scheduled for 10:00 A.M. under the chairmanship of Germany, it was not until 10:35 A.M. that Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer pounded the gavel to announce the opening of the meeting.

On each aisle of the chamber was a large screen with the caption: Iraq Failing to Disarm, February 5, 2003. The setting was reminiscent of the October 22, 1962 meeting of the Security Council on Cuba. Everyone’s eyes were on Colin Powell when he began his presentation with the standard: "Thank you, Mr. President." In a clear and firm military voice, Secretary of State Powell introduced the case of his government against Iraq’s failure to disarm by providing the history of more than twelve years of a cat and mouse play by the government of Saddam Hussein.

What everyone expected arrived soon enough. The Secretary of State played taped voice exchanges between a commander of the Iraq National Guard to his subordinate, giving instructions to hide chemical weapons before the arrival of the inspectors. The audio quality was clear, and Secretary Powell went on to explain in detail the meaning of those instructions. Once again, he reiterated Iraq’s intention to deceive the international community.

A second tape, similar to the first one, showed the intention of the Iraqi regime to hide forbidden stores of ammunition. The presenter went on to show satellite photos illustrating storage of forbidden ammunition and tankers in a town called Faji. Other photographs showed Iraqis moving material believed to be biological weapons.

Powell went on to accuse Iraq of having factories on wheels for biological weapons, crediting reputable sources reporting that more than 18 mobile trucks with mobile labs are moving all over Iraq in order to avoid discovery by the U.N. inspectors. Powell further accused Iraq of destroying or moving evidence. Some of the intercepted phone conversations talked about nerve agents.

On nuclear weapons, Secretary of State Powell insisted that Iraq is still conducting experiments in order to produce nuclear bombs. He indicated that Iraq was in already in possession of two out of the three necessary components to fabricate a bomb.

For close to one hour, Secretary of State Powell relayed his message.

One has the impression that there were a lot of reservations in his presentation to neither divulge sources nor expose the manner in which the activities were conducted. The Secretary kept repeating that Iraqi intelligence has an enormous capacity of collecting information.

After the meeting, China was the first permanent member of the Security Council to take the floor, indicating that the information giving by the American delegate should be transferred to the weapons inspectors so they can conduct further investigation.

The United Kingdom was the next speaker, corroborating the evidence presented by the United States.

Russia’s foreign minister intervened by saying that his government took very seriously the allegations of the representative of the United States and reiterated the concern of his government. He offered to put planes at the disposal of the inspectors, if necessary, for aerial surveillance.

All eyes were turned to France because of its previous position vis-a-vis the United States. The foreign minister stated that France, also, had listened carefully to the presentation of the United States and remained convinced that the work could be done better if, instead of choosing the path of war, we work with unity among ourselves by providing more data, even augmenting the number of inspectors, creating some permanent, sealed sites of inspection and conducting more aerial surveillance.

Germany, which was presiding over the Security Council meeting, took a similar stand as France, asking that the inspectors be permitted to do their work.

Speaking later, Iraq argued that that the only reason for Powell’s presentation was to sell the war to the American people.

One thing emerged at this meeting—both parties, the Americans and the Iraqis, referred to Hans Blix, the representative of the U.N. Secretary-General, as the credible expert upon whom their case rested.

Secretary-General, Kofi Annan was present at the meeting. Sitting directly behind him were Hans Blix and Mohamed El Baradei, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

One thing that should be noted was the presence among the 15 members of the Security Council of two female foreign ministers, one from Chile and the other from Spain, each speaking on behalf of their delegations.

(see earlier stories below)

    Adlai Stevenson                                           Colin Powell
Showdown on Cuba                                      Showdown on Iraq

Stevenson - Powell

40 years later

The Great Revelation