在智利國會全體一致無異議地鼓掌支持下，智利總統巴切萊特（Michelle Bachelet）5月21日宣布她會向國會提出對智利水域所有捕鯨活動開罰的立法案，並將設立一個鯨魚禁獵區。
巴切萊特在年度國情咨文中表示，智利將會在2008年6月於聖地牙哥市舉辦國際捕鯨委員會（International Whaling Commission，IWC）會議之前使這個法案通過。
巴切萊特也聲明智利反對日本所進行的捕鯨研究。她表示：「智利會在下次國際捕鯨委員會議期間反對任何以科學目的捕捉及殺死鯨類的行動」。
保育人士們將這個聲明看作是智利人民強烈支持此議題的一次公民勝利。
智利鯨豚保育中心（Centro de Conservacion Cetacea, CCC）行政主任卡蓓瑞菈（Elsa Cabrera）表示：「總統巴切萊特對國際社會傳達了一個強烈的訊息，表達了智利全國全力支持非致死性的鯨豚類使用方式，以及對日本在南半球海域捕鯨活動的全然反對立場。」
在將此法案送交國會之前，此議案工作小組將在下週開會審視這個法案最後版本的內容。根據智利參議院副議長普若庫瑞卡（Baldo Prokurica）表示，這個過程將會很迅速地被完成。職業漁民與非政府組織對這項聲明感到雀躍不已，認為這是公民組織的一項勝利，同時提高了智利鯨類禁獵區在制度上的層次。
包括鯨豚保育中心、生態海洋中心（Centro Ecoceanos）、及智利國家職業漁民聯盟（National Confederation of Artisan Fishers, CONAPACH）等擁護禁獵區的保育團體表示，他們非常高興巴切萊特遵守她2007年4月在一個正式會議上對他們的承諾。
這些團體在一個共同聲明中表示：「今天，總統兌現了她的承諾，將涵蓋所有智利管轄水域僅有的鯨豚保育計畫列為施政優先順序，這將會獲得全體智利社會的支持」。他們還表示這個行動將成為總統巴切萊特留給後人最大的海洋環境禮物。
To a unanimous ovation of the Chilean Congress, President Michelle Bachelet today announced that she will send legislation to parliament banning all whaling activities in Chilean waters and creating a whale sanctuary.
During her annual state of the country address, President Bachelet said Chile will have this law in place before the International Whaling Commission, IWC, meeting to be held in Santiago in June.
President Bachelet also declared Chile's opposition to research whaling as conducted by Japan. "Chile will oppose any capture and death of whales with scientific purposes during the next meeting of the International Whaling Commission," she said.
Conservationists see the announcement as a public triumph on an issue that has strong support amongst the Chilean people.
Elsa Cabrera, executive director of Centro de Conservacion Cetacea, CCC, said, "President Bachelet sent a forceful message to the international community regarding the absolute support of the country for the nonlethal use of cetaceans and the total opposition to the whaling activities carried out by Japan in the Southern Ocean."
A working group will meet next week to review the final text of the law before sending it to parliament. According to the vice president of the Chilean Senate, Baldo Prokurica, the process will be conducted expeditiously.
Artisan fishers and NGOs celebrated the announcement as a triumph for the civil organizations and institutions that have promoted the whale sanctuary in Chile.
Sanctuary proponents, the conservation groups Centro de Conservación Cetacea, CCC, Centro Ecoceanos, and the National Confederation of Artisan Fishers, CONAPACH, said they appreciate the fact that President Bachelet is obeying the commitment she made to them last April during a formal meeting.
"Today, the president has ratified her commitment, giving priority to the only cetacean conservation proposal that covers all Chilean jurisdictional waters and has the support of all Chilean of society," the groups said in a joint statement. They said the move would become the president's greatest marine environmental legacy.
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