MEDIA REACTION: RUSSIA'S CLAIM OVER THE ARTIC; SCO PAULO

UNCLAS SAO PAULO 000657 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE INR/R/MR; IIP/R/MR; WHA/PD DEPT PASS USTR USDOC 4322/MAC/OLAC/JAFEE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KMDR OPRC OIIP ETRD BR SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: RUSSIA'S CLAIM OVER THE ARTIC; SCO PAULO "Russia Concludes Mission In The Artic And Underscores Scientific And Political Feat" Liberal, largest national circulation daily Folha de S. Paulo remarked (8/3): "The success of a Russian submarine expedition with strong political connotation excited that nation's scientific community. Two small submarines touched the bottom of the Artic Ocean under the frozen surface and literally placed a Russian flag there.... The expedition's goal was to collect material for scientific research and reinforce the Russian claim on the soil under the Artic Ocean. The area is rich in oil and other minerals. 'For me, it is like placing a flag on the moon,' said the spokesman of the Russian Artic and Antarctic Institute. President Vladimir Putin had already underlined Russia's need to look for what he believes to be Russian rights in the Artic region.... The fact is that the area, which is officially considered international territory, has been claimed not only by Russia and Canada. It was already claimed by the US, Denmark and Norway. The UN denied all these claims. But Russia believes that with the material collected yesterday it will prove that the area is a natural extension of its continental platform." Helling