Russia plants its flag on North Pole seabed

[Ellinas]

By Isabel Gorst in Moscow

Russia planted its tri-colour national flag on the seabed more than 4km beneath the North Pole on Thursday, staking a symbolic claim to a vast swathe of Arctic territory believed to be rich in oil and minerals.

A group of Russian explorers and scientists, carried in mini-submarines over 4,261 metres below the waves, became the first men to land on the sea bed of the North Pole

Artur Chilingarov, the Russian Arctic explorer masterminding the expedition, said, "It was a soft landing. The earth around is of a yellowish hue. There has been no sight of any living creatures in the sea depths".

A capsule containing a message for future generations was deposited beside the one-metre tall Russian flag fashioned out of titanium capable of resisting corrosion for two hundred years.

By the time the rust sets in, much of the Arctic shelf, an area particularly vulnerable to global warming, may have melted, facilitating exploitation of potentially vast oil and gas reserves which Russia is eager to claim as its own.

Explorers spent an hour gathering rock and sea water samples which will help researchers establish whether the area, known as the Lomonosov Ridge, is a geological extension of Russia's continental shelf. Canada and Denmark also claim that the Lomonosov Ridge is linked to their territories.

Speaking to television reporters from the deck of the Akademik Fyodorov research vessel moored at the North Pole, Mr Chilingarov said,"We are here to define the outer limit of Russia's territory".

Sergei Lavrov, the Russian minister of foreign affairs, told reporters in Manila that the possible expansion of Russia's offshore territory would be decided "exclusively in accordance with international law"

Mr Lavrov said, "The goal of this expedition is not to pinpoint Russia's rights, but to prove that our (continental) shelf stretches to the North Pole".

Mr Chilingarov told Interfax he had been unable to confirm earlier reports that a US submarine had tracked the Russian expedition to the North Pole. However, he said he believed that low flying aircraft spotted near the Akademik Fyodorov belonged to Nato.

The Russian government newspaper Rossiskaya Gazeta said on Thursday that this week's North Pole expedition could trigger an "unamusing" battle between Russia and Washington for energy resources in the Arctic Oceans.

FT.com

[really]

There is no incentive to deal with global warming because of things like this.

[Hephaestion]

Punk move by the Russians.

[Prokomenos]

The Russian government newspaper Rossiskaya Gazeta said on Thursday that this week's North Pole expedition could trigger an "unamusing" battle between Russia and Washington for energy resources in the Arctic Oceans.

This is true and most likely it will escalate. America and Russia are already having their differences with a few things now as we speak. Kosovo, the missles and energy will be the cream of the crop. Wait untill China and India get involved aswell. Their is an epidemic with oil now adays things are going to escalate...