134 



COMMONWEALTH OF 



THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS 



Statement of Jesus C. Borja 



June 1, 1995. 



tic special representative of 

 ik president of the uuted states 



and 



TIE SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVES OF 



THE GOVERNOR OF 



THE COmOMUEALTH OF THE WM\MVX MAS I AHA ISLANDS 



MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT 



ON 



OCEAN RIGHTS AND RESOURCES 



April 12, 1990 



The Special Representative of the President of the United 

 States and the Special Representatives of the Governor of the 

 Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, appointed pursuant 

 to Section 902 of the Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the 

 Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States 

 of America, met and conferred at the Eighth Round of Consultations 

 pursuant to 902 in Saipan, on April 9 through 12, 1990. 



The Special Representatives of the President and the Governor 

 agreed in principle to a basis for resolution of the issue of 

 "Ocean Rights and Resources." This issue was raised by the Special 

 Representatives of the Commonwealth in a position paper submitted 

 in our consultations on March 30, 1987. The issue concerns the 

 authority of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to 

 conserve, manage and control the marine resources in the waters and 

 seabed of the territorial sea and exclusive economic zone of the 

 Commonwealth for the benefit of the people of the Northern Mariana 

 Islands. 



The Special Representative of the President agrees to support 

 the Commonwealth's proposal that the authority and jurisdiction of 

 the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands be recognized and 

 confirmed by the United States to include the sovereign right to 

 ownership and jurisdiction of the waters and seabed surrounding the 

 Northern Mariana Islands to the full extent permitted under 

 international law. Under this proposal, the Commonwealth shall 

 have the rights of a coastal state in the territorial sea, the 

 contiguous zone, the exclusive economic zone and the continental 

 shelf as provided in the United Nations Convention on the Law of 

 the Sea; provided that the exercise of those rights shall be done 

 in cooperation with the United States and subject to the 

 responsibility and authority of the United States with respect to 

 foreign affairs and defense under Section 104 of the Covenant. 



Exhibit 1 - Page 1 



