More news from IWC54 in Shimonoseki, Japan

Motions at IWC54	for whales	for whalers	abstentions
Monday 20 May 2002
Challenge to the chair's ruling that last year's decision to not accept Iceland should fail - motion defeated	25	20	-
Challenge the chair's ruling that there would not be another vote on Iceland - motion defeated	24	17	3
Norway challenged chair's ruling on limited speakers to secret ballot motion - motion defeated	24	19	2
Motion by Japan for secret ballots - motion defeated	25	19	1
Tuesday 21 May 2002
Motion to allow Japan to take 50 coastal Minke whales - motion required 3/4 majority and failed	21	20	3
Australia and New Zealand propose a South Pacific Whale Sancutary - motion required 3/4 majority and failed	24	16	5
Brazil and Argentina propose a South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary - motion required 3/4 majority and failed	23	18	4
Japan proposed to amend the Southern Ocean Sanctuary to apply only on advice of scientific committee - motion failed	25	17	2
Anti-whaling nations made a proposal that the scientific committee take into consideration the precautionary principle when reviewing sanctuaries and other protection measures, such as a moratorium, not exclude the need for sanctuaries - motion passed	24	19	1
Wednesday 22 May 2002
Norway challenged chair's agenda order - motion defeated	23	16	5
Challenge chair's ruling that 3/4 majority is needed for schedule ammendment - motion defeated	25	16	3
Norway's motion to limit Bowhead quota to two years - motion failed	27	14	3
Thursday 23 May 2002
Proposal for US and Russian indigenous subsistence Bowhead quota - required 3/4 majority and failed	30	14	1
Japanese Revised Management Scheme proposal - motion failed	25	16	3
Swedish Revised Management Scheme proposal - motion failed	24	12	7

Help put pressue on countries bought by Japan

You can help put pressure on three of the newest countries bought by the Japanese government and ask them to stand up for whale conservation, not commercial whaling by sending a fax to the Foreign

Mongolia is a land locked country and the latest to join the IWC. It is hard to image what there interest is in whaling except as a route to Japanese aid. Send a letter to their foreign minister.

Send a fax to the minister of Palau.

Send a fax to the minister of Benin in Africa.

Send a fax to Gabon.