Russia calls on UN to redraw map of the Arctic to grab lion's share of untapped 90 BILLION barrels of oil

• Canadians and Denmark reject claim of 'Eurasian landmass'

From Will at The Other News, via the Daily Mail:

The mineral-rich Arctic is at the centre of a new land grab by nations desperate to get their hands on its icy energy treasures - including 90 billion barrels of oil.


Russia, Norway, the United States, Canada and Denmark all want a share of the seabed beneath the Arctic territory which is believed to also hold 30 per cent of the world's untapped gas resources, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Now Russia has announced that it is to formally submit an application to the United Nations next year in the hope of redrawing the map of the Arctic, giving itself a bigger share of the resource-rich area.

Disputed area: The Arctic territory that is being hotly contested by the Russians

New frontier: Open water at the North Pole, Arctic Ocean, during the summer offers prospect of developing the region

The plan follows a pledge last week to send troops and weapons to its icy north to guarantee and secure its Arctic interests.

The formal application to the United Nations would change the region's borders and allow exploitation of the energy-rich Arctic territory.

'I hope that next year we will present a formal, scientifically grounded application to the commission of the U.N.,' state-run RIA news agency quoted Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov as telling a government maritime board.

Russian objectives: Premier Putin

Russia has said it will spend millions of dollars on studies to prove that an underwater mountain range rich in oil, natural gas and mineral deposits  is part of its own Eurasian landmass.

Canada and Denmark reject the claim, saying the geographical formation, known as the Lomonosov Ridge, which stretches across the Arctic Sea, is a geographical extension of their own land.