US says Russian Arctic marking an internal affair

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
The United States said Thursday that Russia's decision to delineate its southern Arctic boundary appears to be an internal administrative move that will have no standing in international law. A statement from the office of State Department spokesman Sean McCormack outlined the procedure for defining the extent of a country's continental shelf under the Law of the Sea Convention. "Based on information available to us at this point in time, we have no reason to believe the Russians are proposing a different course of action," the statement said. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Wednesday that Russia must mark its Arctic territory to ensure its development and competitiveness in global markets over the long term. He told his Security Council that quick legislation is necessary to ensure delineation of Russia southern zone in the "strategically important Arctic region.