(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-03-10 10:11

WELLINGTON -- New Zealand's Whaling Commissioner Geoffrey Palmer said he hoped a less confrontational approach between pro and anti whaling countries will lead to an end to whaling, New Zealand media reported on Monday.

The International Whaling Commission ended three days of talks in London on Sunday with an agreement to work more through consensus rather than voting, which tends to force confrontation.

Palmer said the main difficulty for New Zealand is the ongoing whaling by Japan for what it says is scientific purposes.

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Japan hopes to catch 935 minke and 50 endangered fin whales this season.

Palmer said it inflames public opinion every time the Japanese whalers are in the Southern Ocean. He believed ways have to be found to stop whaling permanently.

Palmer said New Zealand is backing a plan by Australia for a complete revamp of the commission, including subjecting all scientific whaling to its scrutiny.

More than 100 delegates from 46 countries including Japan, Britain, the United States, Norway and New Zealand attended the London meeting.

Discussions at the meeting included plans to lift a worldwide ban on whaling.

The Independent on Sunday reported that Japan would be allowed to carry out a limited hunt in waters close to its shores. In return, it would have to stop exploiting a loophole in international law enabling "scientific research."

The plans were reportedly presented to the meeting by the governments of Argentina and the Netherlands.