Palin's role in Arctic claims questioned

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081002/ap_on_el_pr/palin_arctic

Russian attempts to claim part of the Arctic Ocean seabed have given Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin unique foreign policy experience, the McCain-Palin campaign says, but there is no evidence she has ever been involved with or spoken publicly about them.

Asked to explain Palin's statements that Alaska's proximity to Russia bolsters her foreign policy credentials, campaign spokeswoman Meghan Stapleton said Wednesday that Alaska is involved in "north corridor issues with Russia, Canada, Iceland and the United States of America."

The campaign cited Russia's attempts to claim part of a 1,240-mile underwater mountain range that crosses the polar region as its territory. Last August, a Russian submarine dropped a titanium capsule containing the nation's flag on the sea floor, sparking a multinational race to secure rights to the Arctic seabed.

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The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and the State Department say Alaska state officials are not involved in their work, which includes three State Department continental shelf mapping expeditions off Alaska over the past two summers. They took place far beyond any territory over which the state has jurisdiction, department spokeswoman Barbara Moore said Wednesday.