Canada, US seek warmer ties on Arctic

[Louisiana1976]

US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates on Friday said Washington aims to boost cooperation with Canada in the Arctic, as Russia and others eye its vast untapped resources.

"Canada and the US are both Arctic nations," said Gates. "We share an interest in developing more icebreaking ships for mobility and improving domain awareness to support search-and-rescue in light of increased tourism up north.

"The melting of the polar ice cap in the Arctic, plus the frequency and intensity of weather events in this hemisphere -- with the corresponding need for military humanitarian assistance missions -- calls for a greater attention to the security implications of climate change," he said.

Five countries bordering the Arctic -- Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia and the United States -- claim overlapping parts of the region estimated to hold 90 billion untapped barrels of oil.

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http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Canada_US_seek_warmer_ties_on_Arcti_11202009.html