Duma fears unilateral Norwegian restrictions after ratification

MOSCOW (Itar-Tass) -- The State Duma committee on
international affairs recommended on Thursday to ratify the
Russian-Norwegian agreement on the delimitation in the Barents Sea and the
Arctic Ocean, however three other committees expressed concern it may
trigger unilateral Norwegian actions detrimental to Russian fishing in the
area.
The committee on natural resources said in a statement Russian
fishermen fear Norway "may unilaterally adopt such fishing regulation
measures in the sea areas which it gets that will make Russian fishing
impossible not only in the exclusive economic zone, but also in the sea
areas of the Spitsbergen Archipelago." The committee fears Norway may
cancel trawl fishing in the area which accounts for 95 percent of the
Russian haul.
Although the committee backed ratification, it also called to consider
"possible negative consequences of the agreement for the Russian fishing
industry and ways to minimize them."
The State Duma security committee also called "to prevent unilateral
interpretation" of the agreement by Norway and to add a special statement
to the ratification law.
The draft statement reads the 2010 delimitation agreement "does not
cancel the Russian position regarding non-recognition of the 200-mile fish
protection zone unilaterally established by Norway around Spitsbergen."
The State Duma committee on the affairs of the North and the Far East
also expressed corresponding concern in a statement.
First deputy chairman of the committee on international affairs Leonid
Slutsky told Tass the accompanying statement says the ratification "shall
not negatively affect each party in the fishing sphere." "We recommended
to ratify the agreement on such a position," he said.
The ratification is scheduled for March 25.