New Zealand observed that the phrase “Notwishstanding anything contained in this Convention” which opens paragraph 1 of Article VIII, ‘provides alimited discretion for contracting Governments to issue special permits for the specific articulated purpose of scientific research’. It “does not constitute a blanket exemption for special permit whaling from all aspects of the Convention”. New Zealand pointed out that the provision in paragraph 1 setting out that the talking of whales in accordance with Article VIII is “exempt from the operation of this convention” “would have been unnecessary if the opening words of the paragraph,” ‘notwithstanding anything in the convention’, were intended to cover all aspects of special permit whaling