Russia will not allow itself to be left behind in the race to exploit the resources of the Arctic now being opened up by global warming, Reuters cited the Kremlin's special representative for the region as saying in an interview. Scientists say the ice is receding so fast that drilling for oil and gas high in the Arctic will soon become routine and cargo ships could sail between the Atlantic and Pacific along a new shipping lane much shorter than the routes used now. Those lucrative prospects have unleashed fierce competition between nations with Arctic coastlines -- led by the United States and Russia -- to assert their influence. "Russia's national interest lies there," said Artur Chilingarov, who was last year appointed presidential envoy for international cooperation in the Arctic and Antarctic. International law states that the five states with an Arctic Ocean coastline -- Canada, Denmark via Greenland, Norway, Russia and the United States -- have a 320 km (200 mile) economic zone north of their borders. But Russia is claiming a larger slice based on its contention that the seabed under the Arctic is a continuation of the Siberian continental shelf. But Russia is not waiting for that issue to be settled to expand its presence in the Arctic. Anticipating an increase in international traffic through the so-called Northern Sea Route as the ice melts, it is drafting legislation that will consolidate its control over who uses the route. The draft law allows Russia to block foreign military vessels, bar entry to commercial ships it deems unsafe for navigation, levy fees and, depending on the ice conditions, require ships to use Russian pilots and ice-breakers.
