116 



COMMONWEALTH OF 



THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS 



Statement of Jesus C. Borja 



June 1, 1995 



29 

 and management of tuna. 



A second position paper, on Ocean Rights and Resources, was 

 presented in these consultations in March 1987. It affirmed the 

 right of the people of the Commonwealth to control, manage and 

 develop the marine resources of their exclusive economic zone. 

 The paper documented that the people of the Northern Mariana Is- 

 lands have and should retain the full complement of rights in the 

 ocean and the exclusive economic zone recognized for coastal 

 states under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the 

 Sea. The paper proposed that these rights be recognized by the 

 United States by a mutual consent amendment to the Covenant and 

 that authority to participate in international affairs as appro- 

 priate to a coastal state be formally recognized by federal leg- 

 islation. 30 



In 1990 the Special Representative of the President agreed 

 to support the Commonwealth's authority to conserve, manage and 

 control the marine resources of the territorial sea and exclusive 



29 



Special Representatives of the Governor, Position Paper on 



the Tuna Fishery, reprinted in Compilation of Documents from the 



First and Second Rounds of the Covenant Section 902 Consultations 



235 (1986). 



30 



Special Representatives of the Governor, Position Paper on 



Ocean Rights and Resources, reprinted in Compilation of Documents 



from the Third Round of the Covenant Section 902 Consultations 



249 (1987). 



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