UNITED NATIONS, August 31 (RIA Novosti) - A Russian member of a United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) said the commission could decide on Russia's claim for a large portion of the Arctic shelf in three years.

In 2001, Russia stated it was entitled to an extra 1.2 million square kilometers (460,000 square miles) of the Arctic, claiming underwater ridges are a continuation of its shelf. The UN demanded more evidence. The issue came to the fore in early August after Russian researchers made the first-ever dive below the North Pole in two mini-submarines, taking rock samples from the seabed to corroborate the claims.

"I believe that in three years, Russia will manage to provide all the necessary evidence for its claims to the Lomonosov and Mendeleyev ridges, and consequently, the commission will be able to make a final decision," Yury Kazmin said.

The CLCS represents 21 countries. It was set up to facilitate delineation beyond a 322-km (200-mile) economic zone that Russia, the United States, Canada, Norway, and Denmark have in the Arctic under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Kazmin said the data obtained by this summer's expedition was a tangible advance towards possession of the territory believed to contain natural gas, oil, tin, gold, and other natural resources, likely to become accessible in future decades due to man-made global warming.

As well as collecting geological samples, the explorers planted a titanium Russian flag on the seabed, 4,200 meters (14,000 feet) below the surface in a symbolic gesture that irritated Canada, which has claimed part of the Arctic shelf since 1925. A Canadian diplomat mockingly said Russia was setting up shelf borders using 15th century flag-planting methods, an allegation echoed by the United States.

"The planting of the flag has provoked not only active interest, but speculation. We should point out that under the Convention, fixing a flag gives no legal right to the shelf. Russia's position is the same," Kazmin said.

The official said obtaining evidence for the claims was extremely difficult under the Arctic conditions considering that one expedition cost at least $10 million.

He added that protracted consideration of Russia's bid was primarily due to Russia's failure to submit depth research data to the commission, which is secret information used for military purposes. "This is confidential information that our, U.S. and other submarines use for navigation," Kazmin said.

The CLCS has started its regular session this week. Besides the Russian bid, it still has to consider six territorial claims to other shelves.