[June 17, 2011] Signatories to mark 50 years of Antarctic Treaty in Argentina Tweet BUENOS AIRES, Jun 17, 2011 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- Signatories of the Antarctic Treaty would celebrate the pact's 50th anniversary here on June 23 while attending the treaty's 34th consultative meeting, Argentine Foreign Ministry said Friday. The June 20-July 1 event will gather top officials from most of the treaty's 48 signatories, and the topics include scientific cooperation, protection of the environment and tourism in the Antarctic region, it said. The treaty, effective since 1961, was a result of successful multilateral and diplomatic exercises by the international community, the ministry said. Argentina was one of the original 12 nations with scientists active in Antarctica that negotiated the treaty in 1959, and has hosted the treaty's permanent secretariat since 2004. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]