Developing a Legal and Political Framework for the Seabed 



.\n oceanic issue of primaiy importance before die world's nations is that 

 of the legal status of the seabed and deep ocean floor. In 1969, most discus- 

 siom of the political and legal seabed framework took place in the U.N. 

 Seabeds Committee.'^ established in the fall of 1968 by the U.X. General 

 -\ssembly. and in the Political Committee of the General Assembly. 



The Seabeds Committee met in March. August, and Xo\ ember of 1969. 

 Its i-epon served as the fcnral point for tlie General Assembh- debates on sea- 

 beds. The legal subcommittee of the Seabeds Committee devoted primary' 

 attention to canning out the mandate of the 23d General .\ssembly: To 

 fonnulate legal principles which would promote international cooperation in 

 the exploration and use of the seabed. Tt made progress toward this goal by 

 SNTithesizing certain legal principles for the seabed and ocean floor beyond 

 national jurisdiction. The United States, since fii"^t presenting its own set of 

 draft principles on June 28. 1968, has strongly advocated xhe need for an 

 international agi'eement on a set of principles. The Seabeds Committee %vill 

 continue to \\'ork toward agreement on these principles at its next session in 

 March 1970. 



The U.S. principles state that no nation may claim or exercise sovereignty 

 or so\-ereign rights over any part of the deep ocean floor, that internationally 

 agreed arrangements should be adopted as soon as practical to govern 

 exploitation of deep ocean floor resources and diat an intemadonally agreed 

 precise boundan- should be established for the deep ocean floor. They also 

 set out guidelines for the conduct of the acdvities of states and their nadonals 

 on the deep ocean floor.^ 



The economic and technical subcommittee of the U.N. Seabeds Com- 

 mittee focused its attendon in 1969 on a report submitted by the U.N. 

 Secretan- General setting forth an anal\-sis of possible t\"pes of intemadonal 

 organizadonal machiner\- which might govern exploitation of the deep 

 seabeds. At the August session, the United States put forward a position on 

 international machiner\-. stating that such machinen.', as a part of an inter- 

 national regime, could include an international registry- of claims governed 

 by agreed criteria and supplemented by appropriate procedures. Under 

 such machinen.-. governments \\ould be responsible for adherence by their 

 nationals to internationally established criteria, and the s\-stem would require 

 adequate procedures for verifying compliance. The U.S. representative 

 pointed out that no more and no less machinerv- should be created than 

 would be required. 



In these seabed discussions a number of de\eloping nations suggested the 

 need to create an international agency which would regulate and control 

 seabed exploitation. A fe^s• countries suggested that the international 

 authority- should itself engage in exploitation. 



* The establishment of the Seabeds Committee and the nature of its first year of 

 work are reported in ch. Ill of the Council's third annual report. "Marine Science 

 .\ffairs — -A. Year of Broadened Participation." Januan.- 1969. 



* Tlie Draft Resolution of Principles supported by the United States in the U.X. 

 Ad Hoc Seabed Committee are published in app. C-2 of "Marine Science .-Vffairs — 

 A Year of Broadened Participation," the Council's third annual rep>ort, Januar>- 1969. 



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