many respects is believed by them to satisfy our national interests, 

 and then find that the United States is unable to participate in the 

 final result. 



As could have been expected in the light of the U.S. position the 

 session in New York this spring was, relative to previous sessions, 

 an inactive one. We were not in a position to negotiate on sub- 

 stance and, because our participation is vital to the formation of 

 consensus, participants in the Conference were unwilling to pro- 

 ceed wthout us. There was some activity, however, which I will 

 now briefly summarize for you. 



The first week of the Conference was devoted to electing a Presi- 

 dent to succeed the late Ambassador Hamilton Shirley Amera- 

 singhe of Sri Lanka. Ambassador Tommy Koh of Singapore, an 

 able and experienced diplomat, was elected to replace him. 



In Committee I, that is the committee dealing with seabed 

 mining, Chairman Paul Engo of the United Republic of Cameroon 

 focused attention on the draft resolution setting up the Preparato- 

 ry Commission, known as the PrepCom, of the International 

 Seabed Authority. 



The developing states attacked, and the developed states de- 

 fended, the requirement set out in the text that the rules, regula- 

 tions, and procedures adopted by the PrepCom be applied by the 

 Seabed Authority until others are recommended to the Assembly 

 by a consensus of Council members and are adopted by the Assem- 

 bly. Some developed countries, with the United States reserving its 

 position at this session, have regarded this approach as essential to 

 assuring those ratifying the treaty that the Seabed Authority 

 would operate in a foreseeable manner. 



Participation in the PrepCom, the so-called ticket of admission 

 problem, was also debated. Those industrialized countries express- 

 ing a view preferred that signatories of the final act of the Con- 

 gress be full participants in the work of the PrepCom and in its 

 decisionmaking procedures in order to provide the broadest possi- 

 ble participation. 



The developing countries wanted membership reserved to those 

 states which had expressed the intent to become parties to the 

 treaty by signing it. The developing states at that point offered a 

 compromise that would have allowed those states that had signed 

 the final act of the Conference but not the treaty itself to partici- 

 pate as observers in the PrepCom's work. Other Committee I issues 

 were treated only superficially. 



The U.S. delegation confined its participation in the seabed dis- 

 cussions to several brief interventions reserving our position pend- 

 ing completion of the review. 



Committee II, which deals with the navigation and coastal state 

 jurisdiction, held four informal meetings without agenda to permit 

 delegations to raise any questions deemed important to them. Some 

 states favored requiring prior authorization or notification of war- 

 ship passage in the territorial sea. Of the approximately 70 states 

 which expressed views on the subject, roughly one-half favored the 

 amendment and one-half opposed it. Among those favoring the 

 amendment, a small number thought notification alone might be 

 acceptable. 



