International Cooperation 



ments. Several temporary panels were established to examine such matters 

 as scientific cooperation, the exploration and use of the mineral resources 

 of the seabed, underseas technology, the living resources of the oceans, 

 regional cooperation in Latin America and Europe, and the national security 

 aspects of these questions. It was this ad hoc Committee, for example, which 

 was the mechanism for developing a Government-wide position on the sea- 

 bed issue considered by the General Assembly. The ad hoc Committee has 

 now been converted into a standing committee. 



Other inter-agency committees continue to be responsible for the develop- 

 ment of United States positions at inter-governmental meetings on such 

 specialized marine matters as the fishery activities of FAO, the fishery com- 

 missions, oil pollution, maritime communications, and export of technology. 



To insure that new proposals for international collaborative programs 

 that involve several Federal agencies are thoroughly evaluated throughout 

 the Government, procedures have been adopted by the Council whereby 

 a lead agency is designated for evaluating, coordinating, and implementing 

 plans. 



The Marine Resources and Engineering Development Act explicitly calls 

 upon the President, with the advice and assistance of the Marine Sciences 

 Council, to undertake legal studies concerned with the management, use, 

 development, and control of marine resources. Thus, three studies by out- 

 standing legal authorities were undertaken through Council contracts, with 

 guidance from the Legal Adviser of the Department of State, on interna- 

 tional law aspects of off-shore petroleum, gas, and solid minerals; ocean- 

 ographic research ; and fishing. These will be made available by the Council 

 early in 1968 to facilitate broad examination of the issues.^ 



' Authors of the three studies singled out the following conclusions as being of 

 particular interest. These have not yet been reviewed by the member agencies of 

 the Council, and they will be considered together with other suggested approaches: 

 — There should be deliberate policy decisions on the extent of the Continental 

 Shelf; a precise definition of its seaward boundary seems desirable. A buffer 

 zone might be established to. bridge the boundary between the Shelf and the 

 seabed with the coastal states' interests in the ocean floor given special 

 protection in the Zone. 

 — The U.S. should seek an international legal framework which promotes free- 

 dom of oceanographic research within waters subject to national control and 

 on the Continental Shelf. 

 — Consideration with regard to living resources might be given to establishment 

 of a global conservation authority which would strive to extend and improve 

 existing international regulation of high seas exploitation in the interest of 

 conservation and efficiency. 



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