Talks over whaling fail to reach deal

The 88 nations of the International Whaling Commission held two days of intense closed-door talks in Agadir, Morocco, on a proposal to ease the 25-year-old ban on commercial whaling in exchange for smaller kills by the three countries which claim exemptions to the moratorium on hunting for profit.

About 1,500 animals are killed each year by Japan, Norway and Iceland.

Japan, which kills the most, insists its hunt is for scientific research but more whale meat and whale products end up in restaurants than in laboratories.

"After nearly three years of discussions, it appears our discussions are at an impasse," chief United States delegate Monica Medina said yesterday.

Japanese whaling commissioner Yasue Funayama said her country had offered major concessions and blamed anti-whaling countries which refused to accept the killing of a single animal. "We must rise above politics and engage in a broader perspective," she said.