B-2 



I will try to be brief, and I think what I would like 

 to do is to start with the Ninth Antarctic Treaty Consulta- 

 tive Meeting that was recently held in London, and then work 

 backward to show the context in which the action of the Con- 

 sultative Meeting on Antarctic marine living resources fits. 



The representatives of the 13 Consultative Parties in 

 London, in the meeting which took place at the end of September 

 and early October, adopted a recommendation (Recommendation 

 IX-2) on Antarctic Marine Living Resources. The recommenda- 

 tion has three parts: 



One, dealing with scientific research with regard to 

 Antarctic Marine Living Resources; 



Another, dealing with interim guidelines for the con- 

 servation of such resources; 



And the third part, which I would like to dwell on, the 

 establishment of a definitive regime, a "definitive conserva- 

 tion regime" as it is called. 



In the latter part of the recommendation, the represen- 

 tatives there present, recommended to their governments 

 that a definitive regime for the conservation of Antarctic 

 marine living resources be established and be concluded before 

 the end of 1978. 



The representatives further recommended that there be 

 convened a Special Consultative Meeting to elaborate a draft 

 definitive regime, and to answer a number of additional 

 questions including: the determination of the form of that 

 regime; to prepare, if necessary, rules of procedure for a 

 subsequent decisive meeting to conclude a definitive regime; 

 to decide on participation in that second decisive meeting; 

 and to determine the data and place of that decisive meeting. 



The representatives of the consultative parties also 

 agreed on a number of principles which should be forwarded to 

 the Special Consultative Meeting for its consideration in 

 terms of incorporation into the work of the Special Consul- 

 tative Meeting — that is, elaboration of the draft definitive 

 regime . 



Then, at the end of the Consultative Meeting, the Dele- 

 gation of Australia offered to host this Special Consulta- 

 tive Meeting to be held at the end of February. Therefore, 

 the next step ih the consideration of a regime to conserve 

 Antarctic marine living resources will take place in Canberra 

 at the end of February -- beginning on February 27 — for 

 a period of three weeks. 



