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Russia Arctic seabed 'claim'

By Tom Clarke

Updated on 02 August 2007

Russia lays claim to land beneath the Arctic - plus its rich energy reserves.

The celebrations began as soon as the Russian explorers arrived at the North Pole. If getting there through packed sea ice was tough today's mission was truly risky - to descend four kilometres in a pair of deep diving submersibles.

A supposedly scientific mission to learn more about the arctic sea floor - but one followed by cameras and a number of Russian flags.

Before the descent -- a flag was planted on the ice above the North Pole and a titanium capsule, containing another, was left on the sea floor below it. Their leader, though a veteran arctic explorer, is also a member of the Russian parliament.

Their success was the top story on tonight's Russian TV news - some likening the dive to the moon landings. Nationalistic rhetoric perhaps, but if the voyage does boosts Russia's chances of a claim on the pole -- it's a big deal indeed.

Planting the flag

By planting their flag here - nearly 14,000 feet beneath the north pole - the Russians are reasserting their claim to the pole and a huge chunk of the arctic.

International law holds that their territory can only extend 200 miles beyond the coast. But that depends on the seabed.

Russia argues this strip of the sea floor called the Lomonosov Ridge is physically linked to their mainland. Claiming under a UN convention - that they're entitled to an area half the size of western Europe - along with VAST energy resources beneath it.

But Russia isn't the only arctic nation arguing their rights to the area. The United States, Canada, Denmark - through its ownership of Greenland - and Norway are also planning - or have submitted their claims - to undersea territory.

And some critics point out that the same Lomonosov Ridge continues through Greenland and into Canada and could be used by them to bolster their claims on arctic territory

Ice grab

And why this sudden rush to carve up what was until recently a pristine ice-bound wilderness? Well 25 per cent of the world's unexploited oil and gas resources are thought to lie under arctic ice.

And with the climate warming faster here than anywhere else, that ice is becoming less of an obstacle to major oil companies. All states bordering the arctic are after a slice of the pie,

So today's high profile mission by Russia hasn't gone unnoticed. Still photos were released just after the teams returned to the surface. Vladimir Putin congratulated them by telephone on "the outstanding scientific project."

But it will be many years at the UN before Russia can legally call the North Pole its own.

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