Show Spitzbergen Spitsbergen Coal Mined By Russians The coldest crossroads of the cold war are Norway's jagged Spitsbergen islands where polar bears nose inquisitively into the only mining settlements operated by Soviet Russia on the free side of the Iron Curtain Svalbard land uland of the cold coast coast is is the ancient Norse name for this Arctic archipelago which became part of the Kingdom of Norway a quarter of a century ago Once an international nomans noman's no noman's nomans nomans noman's mans man's land Svalbard has recently become a strategic Question mark It straddles stra p potential te p polar lar air ir routes between Europe and North America But under a a 1920 treaty the islands cannot be fortified and signing nations United States Stat s Great Britain and its Dominions France Italy Japan the Nether Nether- Netherlands Netherlands Netherlands lands Denmark Sweden and Russia are guaranteed continued access to any economic interests they might hold there Today both Norway and Russia mine Spitsbergen coal Norway is isa isa a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Russia is not Svalbard's status is some some- somewhere some some- somewhere somewhere where between |