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strengthening institutions tor cooperation among the eight 

 Arctic nations. 



Involving the Arctic's indigenous people in decisions that 

 affect them. 



Enhancing scientific monitoring and research on local, 

 regional, and global environmental issues. 



Meeting post-Cold War national security and defense needs. 



A major focus in the implementation of our Arctic policy has 

 been to address the issues of radioactive and other contaminants 

 in the Arctic, Particular concern has been generated by reports 

 of potential radioactive contamination from the former Soviet 

 nuclear weapons and other military programs, including illegal 

 ocean dumping and other disposal of nuclear wastes and 

 components, as well as discharges through rivers. A primary 

 objective in the efforts to respond to these issues has been to 

 secure the involvement of Russia in efforts to deal with them. 



Turning to the international institutional framework 

 relevant to the Arctic environment within which we implement 

 this policy, there are two major global instruments that are 

 specifically applicable to Arctic contaminants. 



The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 

 sets forth obligations to prevent, reduce and control pollution 

 of the marine environment from all sources. Though the United 

 States and the other Arctic nations, with the exception of 

 Iceland, are not yet Parties to the Convention, its marine 

 environmental protection obligations are recognized as 

 reflecting international law, binding on all nations. 



Also of particular relevance to the problems of 

 contamination in the Arctic are the Law of the Sea Convention's 

 provisions on prevention, reduction and control of pollution 

 from land-based sources, a topic to which I will return toward 

 the end of my remarks. 



The 1972 Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by 

 the Dumping of wastes and Other Matter (the London Convention) 

 implements the obligations of the Law of the Sea Convention with 

 respect to ocean dumping. It includes a prohibition on the 

 deliberate disposal at sea of high-level radioactive wastes and, 

 in 1993, was amended to extend the prohibition to all 

 radio.active wastes, including low-level radioactive wastes. 



