Aug. 3 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. said Russia planting its tri-color flag on the seabed under the North Pole doesn't validate the former communist country's claim to the mineral- rich Arctic territory.

``I'm not sure of whether they've put a metal flag, a rubber flag or a bed sheet on the ocean floor,'' State Department spokesman Tom Casey said in Washington yesterday. ``Either way, it doesn't have any legal standing or effect on this claim.''

The Mir-1 and Mir-2 mini-submarines yesterday transported six people about 4.3 kilometers (2.7 miles) to the Arctic Ocean floor under the polar cap. President Vladimir Putin, citing an ``outstanding scientific project,'' thanked the crews during a phone call late yesterday for placing the Russian flag in a titanium capsule on the seabed, the Kremlin said on its Web site.

Russia contends the underwater Lomonosov Ridge links Siberia to the Arctic seabed, which may allow the country to extend its territory. The area of the Arctic shelf may hold 10 billion tons of oil equivalent, as well as gold, nickel and diamonds, according to the Russian government.

``We must determine the border, the most northerly border of the Russian shelf,'' Artur Chilingarov, leader of the expedition and a lawmaker, said before the dive yesterday, state broadcaster Perviy Kanal reported on its Web site.

The nuclear-powered ice-breaker Rossiya cut a path for the research ship Akademik Fyodorov to the North Pole.

Race for Pole

Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia and the U.S. have territory within the Arctic Circle. Under the United Nations Law of the Sea convention they have rights to economic zones in the Arctic Ocean within 200 miles of their shores. Denmark's claim is based on its control of Greenland and the country has undertaken its own territorial surveys in the region.

Russia says the Arctic's energy and mineral resources are becoming more accessible because of global warming.

Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay said yesterday after the dive that the Russians are ``fooling'' themselves if they believe they can simply lay claim to the Arctic.

``You can't go around the world these days, dropping a flag somewhere. This isn't the 14th or 15th century,'' MacKay told reporters in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.

Russia is seeking the territory through the Law of the Sea convention. The U.S. is the only state bordering the Arctic Circle that hasn't signed the treaty.

The State Department ``is very interested and supportive'' of the U.S. Senate ratifying the convention, Casey said yesterday, adding that the U.S. isn't in the ``ballgame'' until it signs the treaty.

Russia submitted a claim in 2001 to extend its continental shelf beyond 200 miles, he said, according to a transcript of his remarks. A UN committee determined in 2003 that there wasn't enough evidence to support the Russian claim or make a technical ruling on it.

Any new evidence Russia produces from this expedition will be evaluated by the UN, Casey said. If the explorers ``went and spray-painted a flag of Russia on those particular ridges'' it wouldn't make ``one iota of difference'' to Russian claims to the territory, he added.

To contact the reporter on this story: Michael Heath in Sydney at mheath1@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: August 2, 2007 22:03 EDT