523 



A third subject area that I would like to cover today is negotia- 

 tions on a convention for the protection and development of the 

 natural resources and environment of the South Pacific region. The 

 convention has a draft protocol on dumping and a draft protocol 

 for cooperation to combat oil spills. The convention and protocols 

 are part of a series of agreements negotiated under the Regional 

 Seas Program of the United Nations Environment Program. 



The concept is that the regional conventions should establish 

 general obligations to promote environmentally sound development 

 and to protect the marine environment in the respective regions. 

 Specific obligations are then spelled out in individual protocols. 

 The United States supports the concept and in March 1983 we 

 signed a Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment 

 of the Wider Caribbean Region and a protocol on cooperation to 

 combat oil spills. 



Negotiations for the South Pacific agreement started in January 

 1983, in Noumea, New Caledonia. The second negotiating session is 

 scheduled for November 7-16, also in Noumea. 



A major difference between the draft agreement for the South 

 Pacific and the agreement covering the Caribbean region — and the 

 reason I raise the matter today — is that a number of states in the 

 region wish to incorporate into the South Pacific agreement a ban 

 on the disposal or storage of radioactive wastes. The U.S. delega- 

 tion to the January negotiating session reserved its position regard- 

 ing the proposed ban. The delegation indicated that the United 

 States was not disposing of radioactive wastes in the ocean and had 

 no future plans to engage in such dumping in the South Pacific. 



The United States particularly emphasized the recently enacted 

 amendments to the MPRSA suspending for 2 years EPA authority 

 to issue permits for low level radioactive waste dumping and estab- 

 lishing strict criteria for later issuance of such permits. The delega- 

 tion pointed out that the question of a worldwide ban on radioac- 

 tive waste dumping would be discussed by the parties to the 

 London Dumping Convention in February and that we considered 

 this to be the best forum to discuss the issue. 



As I have already indicated, the result of the London Dumping 

 Convention meeting was the initiation of an international effort to 

 determine whether a ban on radioactive waste dumping is warrant- 

 ed on technical or scientific grounds. We are participating fully in 

 this effort. If it becomes apparent that low level radioactive waste 

 dumping constitutes a threat to the marine environment, then we 

 would support a ban on the activity. 



This has not been established, however; nor has it been estab- 

 lished that a special situation exists in the South Pacific region, 

 which would provide a technical or scientific basis for a regional 

 ban. Accordingly, the delegation to next week's meeting in Noumea 

 will state the position that it is not appropriate to include a ban in 

 the convention. 



I emphasize that we are interested in bringing the negotiations 

 for the South Pacific convention to a successful conclusion as soon 

 £is possible. We have been engaging in consultations with other 

 participants in the negotiations in an attempt to bridge the differ- 

 ences among the parties before the formal negotiating session next 

 week. It remains to be seen, however, whether it will be possible at 



