The World - News from June 23, 1988

Iceland has agreed to a reduction in its whaling quota for 1988, averting possible trade sanctions by the United States, Fisheries and Foreign Ministry officials said in Reykjavik. Talks with a U.S. delegation in the Icelandic capital established a catch of 68 fin and 10 sei whales, compared to 80 and 20, respectively, last year. The United States had threatened to “certify” Iceland--the first step toward imposing trade sanctions--if it did not cut the size of its whale catch. A spokesman for the U.S. delegation said the agreed cut means that the Commerce Department will not seek sanctions against Iceland.