Monaco - Prince Rainier opened the International Whaling Commission's annual meeting yesterday, warning member-states that their arguing risks tearing the organisation apart. The prince told the five-day meeting, expected to be one of the most heated in years, that bitter disputes between whaling and anti-whaling forces overlooked the main issues facing the organisation.
Whaling states, such as Norway and Japan, have become increasingly vocal in demanding an end to a moratorium on commercial whaling while anti-whaling members want to make the ban permanent. Ireland, a prominent member of the antiwhaling camp, has put forward a controversial plan to end the deadlock. - (Reuters)