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.
seven nations are meeting in Paris to determine the fate of Antarctica . They will review the 1959 Antarctica treaty that expires in 1988 , but more importantly, the 1988 Antarctica Minerals Convention that would have allowed controlled mining and oil exploration there. The Convention was not ratified by Paris , one of seven claimant nations with veto power. None holds title; seven 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.