Cold War at the North Pole

Newsletter 2009/03/12 - Cold War at the North Pole
BERLIN (Own report) - The German government is backing up its claimsto the deposits of Arctic raw materials with an internationalconference on the future of the northern polar region. Through theclimatic change induced melting of the polar cap, the enormousresources hidden under the Arctic ice pack can be exploited in thecoming decades. "With its enormous oil, natural gas reserves as wellas its mineral resources, the Arctic can make a major contribution tothe security of energy supply for Europe," according to the GermanMinistry of the Economy. The race for ownership titles in the ArcticOcean has begun. NATO recently weighed into the debate. BecauseGermany has no borders to the area in question, the German governmentis seeking to have the resources declared international property. Theyshould be "globalized" maintain government advisors in Berlin andpropose that Germany use favorable criteria for the decisionconcerning the rights of access: "the Arctic should remain open forthe participation of those states that clearly use philo-climaticpolicies to the benefit of all."
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http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/fulltext/56234