MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Taiana and Foxley to work on common Antarctica policy

Minister Foxley and his counterpart Minister Taiana

Chile and Argentina's Foreign Affairs ministers, Alejandro Foxley and Jorge Taiana will be meeting in Santiago to coordinate a common position on Antarctica following on Britain's announced intention of claiming continental shelf rights off Antarctica.

"Yes, I'll be meeting with the Argentine Secretary and one of the issues which we are interested to address with the Argentine government is how to best coordinate on the Antarctica issue, because we have common interests", said Foxley on Thursday during a coffee break of an Ibero-America Forum in Santiago. Last October 17 UK announced it would be claiming before the United Nations in the framework of the Law of the Sea Continental Shelf Borders up to a million square kilometers off Antarctica, which was rejected both by Chile and Argentina. "Both our countries have a natural geopolitical, economic and geographic projection towards Antarctica and it is only natural that we find common criteria vis-à-vis what could be future claims from outer region countries, and which we therefore as neighboring countries must address with the same emphasis". The meeting is scheduled to take during the coming XVII Ibero American summit to be held next November 8/10 in Santiago. Following on the UK announcements this year Chile decided the reopening of the Arturo Prat station in Antarctica, which had been closed down five years ago because of lack of funds, after 57 years of permanent operations. According to the Chilean navy the reopening of the station would cost in the range of a million and a half US dollars, which will be jointly billed by the Chilean Antarctic Institute, the Navy and Magallanes Region. Apparently the formal opening will take place next first December and will have a permanent staff of a Chilean Navy officer and eight seamen. The Arturo Prat station is located in the Greenwich Island belonging to the South Shetlands archipelago, 3.700 kilometers from Santiago and was the first ever Chile had in Antarctica.