(from "Chairman's Report of the Thirty-Third Annual Meeting")

Denmark commented that this had been a more successful session than the earlier meeting in Copenhagen because the discussion had not been concerned with wording but the principles involved. It proposed that a contracting government should be urged to continue the initiative, and this was seconded by Japan.

Norway commented on the tensions experienced in the Commission which are also reflected in the report, and Australia wondered if there was need for a spell without meetings. Argentina shared this view, because of the delicate stage of the Law of the Sea Conference. Jamaica spoke on the two major interest groups represented, those concerned with whaling and others concerned with the survival of whales, although these are not necessarily in conflict. The UK had reservations about the usefulness of holding another meeting, but Spain believed the difficulties experienced in the present meeting proved the urgent need to proceed with the revision and updating process. It identified four essential points - the object and purposes of the Convention; the jurisdictional problem; decision taking; and membership of the organisation.

The USA remarked on the fact that any member is free to offer to host a meeting, and to develop terms of reference, so that discussions of the kind which took place in Reykjavik could be pursued. The Commission agreed to leave the matter as it is for member governments to take note of what had been said.

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