IWC adopts resolution against Sea Shepherd obstruction+

ST. HELIER, Jersey, July 14 Kyodo -
The International Whaling Commission on Thursday unanimously adopted a resolution urging relevant countries to enhance measures to prevent the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society from obstructing Japan's so-called research whaling.
The resolution was adopted on the final day of the IWC's four-day annual meeting in St. Helier on Jersey in the British Channel Islands.
Japan submitted the resolution after obtaining the consent of Australia and the Netherlands where the antiwhaling group has registered its ships used for obstructing whaling operations.
The resolution features stronger wording than earlier IWC resolutions of the kind, by pointing a finger at Sea Shepherd by name in its preamble. The group's disruptive actions forced Japan to terminate this year's whaling in the Antarctic Sea in February, ahead of its planned end in March.
At Wednesday's session, the IWC also approved new financing rules proposed by Britain and other European members to improve transparency in light of suspicions that pro-whaling Japan has been paying the membership dues of some countries in exchange for their support.
Under the new rules, the IWC will only accept membership dues by bank transfer instead of cash or checks. Some members, including developing nations, had complained that would complicate procedures and sought to be exempted, but the proposal was adopted nonetheless without major amendments.
Japan, which has long been lobbying for a suspension of the commission's 1986 moratorium on commercial whaling, did not openly oppose the decision.