Sea Settlement

The U.S. opposes a new treaty

After eight years of negotiations, 130 nations last week approved a draft of a new treaty designed to extend the rule of international law to much of the high seas. The U.S., Turkey, Venezuela and Israel opposed the document. Seventeen nations, including many in Western Europe and the entire Soviet bloc except Rumania, abstained.

Until President Reagan's election, the U.S. seemed prepared to go along with the wishes of developing countries that sought to draw up rules governing use of the 70% of the earth's surface covered by water. But then, early last year, just as the delegates were putting what they thought were the final touches on the sea treaty, the newly inaugurated Reagan Administration abruptly announced that it wanted to review the whole treaty. Later the Administration introduced what Secretary of State Alexander Haig privately described as an "Encyclopaedia Britannica of changes." Its action caught the conference by surprise, because the treaty contained many provisions that would benefit the U.S. Among other things, it set a twelve-mile territorial limit for coastal nations, provided them with a 200-mile "economic" or fishing zone, and protected their oil and gas rights up to 350 miles offshore. It also assured freedom of passage for ships, submarines and planes in international waters and through narrow passages such as the straits of Gibraltar and Hormuz.

As it turned out, the Administration objected mainly to certain provisions that would limit the role of private companies in developing the ocean's resources. For instance, the treaty permits seabed mining by both private concerns and a global authority that has yet to be established, but requires that the companies sell their mining technology to the new international agency. Furthermore, the treaty can be amended by a two-thirds vote of signatories, possibly against U.S. interests, 15 years after seabed development commences.

In the end, the Third World sponsors of the treaty made a few concessions, but not enough to satisfy the U.S. In explaining his vote, Chief U.S. Negotiator James Malone declared that the agreement will not bring a "more orderly and productive use of the deep seabed to reality." The Administration has until December, when the treaty is to be signed at a formal ceremony in Venezuela, to change its mind. qed

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.