Thirty-nine nations meet in Paris this week on the controversial future of Antarctica. An AP correspondent who has been to the disputed continent reports on what is at stake.
Thirty - nine nations are meeting in Paris to determine the fate of Antarctica . They will review the 1986 Antarctica treaty that expires in 1991 , but more importantly , the 1988 Antarctica Minerals Convention that would have allowed for mining and oil exploration there . The Convention was not ratified by Chile , one of seven claimant nations with veto power . None holds title ; sixteen nations fly flags there . Antarctica hoards unknown quantities of strategic metals along with oil estimated to be in the billions of gallons . Many nations are pressing for controlled exploitation of the continent , others argue for it to remain unspoiled .