The head of the United States' scientific program in Antarctica isn't committing to a timeframe for an agreement to create the world's largest marine reserve.
The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which regulates the seas around Antarctica, missed its 2012 target for creating a network of marine reserves around the entire continent.
New Zealand and the US could not agree over what areas in the Ross Sea should be included in the reserves, with conservation groups saying not enough species-rich areas were part of New Zealand's proposal.
The US National Science Foundation's polar programme director Kelly Falkner dismissed a suggestion there was any bad blood over the failure, AAP reports.
Speaking to visiting reporters on Ross Island in Antarctica on Saturday, Dr Falkner said New Zealand and the US had since been able to thrash out their differences.
"We have the first steps of consensus between us... if we didn't work together it wouldn't bode well for the world, so I am really glad we have taken that first step because there are many more countries that we have to bring on board."
Dr Falkner would not commit to a timeframe to broker an agreement.
The next CCAMLR meeting is in Germany in July.
