NZ may join action against whaling

Foreign Minister Murray McCully says intervention against Japanese whaling by New Zealand naval patrols is not on the agenda at this stage. Photo / Australian Custom Service

New Zealand could yet join Australian's International Court of Justice action against Japanese whaling in the Southern Ocean, although it still holds significant reservations.

The case began by Canberra last May was raised yesterday during talks between Foreign Minister Murray McCully and Australian counterpart Kevin Rudd before the looming whaling season.

"I made it clear that we see the next few weeks as the time when we have to make some decisions about how we're going to deal with the Japanese whaling issue in the Southern Ocean," Mr McCully said after the talks.

"I indicated to Kevin Rudd that we were keen to understand Australia's position before we made a decision as to whether we were going to file as a party in the International Court of Justice proceedings against Japan."

Asked if this meant New Zealand could join the action, Mr McCully said: "That remains a possibility."

He said New Zealand wanted to give Australia the opportunity to express its views on the possibility, although he made it clear Wellington would make its own final decision.

Mr McCully said one complication in joining the action would be the loss of an Australian judge on the court and it would not be "very neighbourly" to do that without consultation.

Mr McCully said he had made clear to Mr Rudd that New Zealand would take a strong line opposing Japanese whaling in its search and rescue zone this year.

Intervention by New Zealand naval patrols was not on the agenda at this stage.

"I simply mean that New Zealanders are not just going to stand by and watch Japan's whaling fleet operate in our search-and-rescue waters and take a significant number of whales without expressing their views."

Mr McCully said he had conveyed to the Japanese Government the strength of feeling in New Zealand and that he would be working with the Japanese to "lower the temperature".

As a starting point, Japan could lower the target size of its catch.

Mr McCully also said Japan's whaling fleet would soon need expensive replacements.

"One of the things we have to weigh up is whether we leave Japan enough space to exit this gracefully."