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to arrive at a solution. This is based on the other principle upon which 

 the lines will be divided and under which generally the North Sea 

 has been divided, which is entirely the continental shelf except for a 

 small trough off Norway. That is, every line is drawn so that every 

 point on that line is equal in distance between the nearest point on the 

 neighboring or opposing coastal states. 



Mr. Fascell. I understand that, but where does that underlying 

 concept come from ? Does it come from the language of the convention ? 



Mr. Christy. That comes out of the language of the convention, but 

 ignores, as I say, the principle of adjacency and, second, the negotia- 

 tion aspects. 



Mr. Fascell. Is this an interpretation of the language of the con- 

 vention or an actuality? I am not clear on this point. The reason I 

 press this issue is that I have heard others talking about going out to 

 the mid-Atlantic range or going to a midpoint of an ocean and I don't 

 know where those concepts come from. 



Are these lines suggested by the language of the convention? Could 

 we find it and point it out in order to be specific ? 



Mr. Danzig. Where the superjacent waters permit of exploitivity. 



Mr. Fascell. But that language does not refer to a midline? 



Mr. Danzig. No, it does not. 



Mr. Fascell. We don't know what "superjacent" means — above, be- 

 yond, contiguous, or what? We could go running through the dic- 

 tionary for months. 



Mr. Christy. It says in article VI, "Wliere the same continental 

 shelf is adjacent to the territories of two or more States whose coasts 

 are opposite each other, the boundary of the continental shelf ap- 

 pertaining to such States shall be determined by agreement between 

 them. In the absence of agreement between them, and unless another 

 boundary line is justified by special circumstances, the boundary is the 

 median line, every point of which is equidistant from the nearest points 

 of the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea of each 

 State is measured." 



Mr. Fascell. This doesn't seem to say anything about the deep-sea 

 bed. A midline that crosses the continental shelf may be meaning- 

 less out over the deep sea. I don't see how^ you can talk about the conti- 

 nental shelves of some 100 countries and then jump to an area which 

 obviously is not within the continental shelf. 



Mr. Christy. Let me say one thing, that this map and these lines 

 are simply one illustration of one teclinique that might be used to 

 divide up the sea floor. I thought I had expressed that. There are 

 other ways in which it might be done. 



Mr. Fascell. That is what I was after. I just wanted to be sure that 

 this map dividing up the sea 



Mr. Christy. It is unofficial. 



Mr. Fascell. All right. I'm sorry I had so much trouble getting 

 that through my head, but I wanted to be absolutely sure of what we 

 are talking about. 



Mr. Danzig. I am very happy that you did, and I marvel at the 

 way you addressed the total legal problem here, and I think you have 

 correctly analyzed it. I think in the long nm, not now, not at this 

 hearing, not pursuant to any resolution that may be passed by the 



