Will the International Whaling Commission Survive the Australia-Japan Showdown?

This is probably just posturing, but it would be a rather dramatic turn of events if the IWC ended up a casualty of the vociferous Australian campaign against Japanese whaling.  I see the Kiwis are trying to play mediator.

The international body to control whaling worldwide could collapse if a deal cannot be reached to allow restricted commercial whaling, New Zealand’s representative said Thursday.

Former New Zealand prime minister Geoffrey Palmer, who chairs an International Whaling Commission (IWC) group trying to negotiate a deal, said the IWC could fall apart.

“I think there is a big risk of that and I don’t relish it,” Palmer told reporters in Wellington.

Negotiations start next week in DC and the big date is April 22 for a deal to go forward to the annual IWC meeting. Stay tuned!