As the International Whaling Commission meets in London this week, Greenpeace urged the Norwegian Prime Minister to publicly distance Norway from its traditional pro-whaling ally, Japan.
This follows last week's startling admission from a senior Japanese official that Japan has been using development aid to buy votes at the International Whaling Commission (IWC).
In an interview broadcast on ABC TV, a senior Japanese official, Mr Komatsu, described Minke whales as 'cockroaches of the sea' and admitted that Japan saw development aid as 'a major tool' in ensuring that key developing countries voted in favour of whaling at the IWC.
Greenpeace Norway whale campaigner, Frode Pleym says Norway must distance itself from this shameful corruption.
"Every vote Norway casts on pro-whaling initiatives will take advantage of Japan's bought votes," said Pleym. "Norway prides itself on the role it plays within international conventions; if it wants to retain its credibility, Norway must distance itself from this form of vote rigging which undermines the IWC and has severe implications for other international fora."
Twenty Greenpeace activists from five countries (1) climbed the Norwegian Prime Minister's office in Oslo to call on Norway to publicly distance itself Japan, and abstain from voting at IWC.
At this week's IWC meeting, member states will vote on whether or not to create a South Pacific Whale Sanctuary (SPWS). The creation of such a sanctuary is supported by 16 South Pacific nations (2). South Pacific nations see the sustainable utilisation of whales as the creation of a whale watching industry, whereas Japan would rather return to commercial whaling.
Japan has actively recruited developing states to the IWC with the promise of overseas development aid (ODA). If the proposal fails, Norway, Japan and their bought allies are set to deny the South Pacific nations their right to a whale sanctuary.
"Norway can argue that it will vote independently," said Pleym. "However, it cannot deny that if the vote on the creation of a South Pacific Whale Sanctuary is defeated, it will be because of the countries whose vote Japan has bought. This is not international debate or diplomacy, this is international corruption on a massive scale and Norway would be guilty by association," he added.
If Japan's vote buying goes unchecked, the IWC will effectively be bought by Japan and whales will be stripped of all protection.
Notes to editors:
(1) The activists were from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Germany.
(2) Australia, Fiji, Kiribati, New Zealand, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tokelau, Cook Islands, Tuvalu, Tonga, American Samoa, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna.
(3) Six Caribbean countries voted with Japan last year on virtually every motion at the International Whaling Commission (IWC), including rejecting an Australian move to create a whale sanctuary in the South Pacific. Greenpeace believes that Panama and Morocco, who are joining the IWC this year, despite having no involvement in whaling or whale conservation have also had their votes 'bought' by Japan.
