The Antarctic Environmental Protection bill
6.
The recent Special Consultative Meeting of Antarctic Treaty Parties in Madrid elaborated a single text of a draft Environmental Protection Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty. The Consultative Parties intend to conclude negotiation of this Protocol in Madrid on 23 June. If this happens, we would wish to retain the possibility of acting quickly to sign the agreement, enact the necessary legislation and ratify the Protocol.
7.
The UK has been wrongly portrayed in the media as the principal country blocking progress on the protection of Antarctica. It would help our cause if we were seen to act quickly to bring into force any agreement. Certainly there will be pressure from the NGOs such as Greenpeace and WWF, who have been highly critical of our position, for us to ratify the agreement without delay.
8.
The need for a slot in the Legislative Programme for an Antarctic Environmental Protection Bill in the 1991/92 legislative programme is, therefore, probably of greater importance and priority now than when we put forward the bid, and I hope that its contingency place in a first session be retained.
The Mauritius Republic Bill
9.
Contingency provision has been included for a first session Bill to give effect to the change of Mauritius's status from a Realm to a Republic, possibly this autumn. Indications are that Mauritius will wish to continue appeals to the Privy Council so it will be
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