Several nations felt that precisely defining the limits of 

 national jurisdiction was of central concern. They argued that 

 without resolution of the complex legal issues involved that 

 legal principles applicable to States in the area were premature. 



It was suggested that the International Labor Organization 

 and other groups be consulted with respect to the human and 

 social aspects such as conditions of work and protection and 

 training of manpower. 



Practical Means to Promote International Cooperation 



One way of promoting cooperation is through scientific en- 

 deavors such as suggested in a proposal by the Secretary- 

 General and one for an International Decade of Ocean Ex- 

 ploration. These were discussed in an earlier section. 



The Ad Hoc Committee also explored possibilities for 

 cooperation in the exploitation of mineral resources. The 

 danger of pollution and other hazardous and harmful effects 

 of exploitation were discussed. The need to insure both the 

 traditional freedoms of the high seas and the freedom of re- 

 search were stressed. It was also suggested that the 1958 

 Geneva Convention be carefully reviewed. There was wide 

 disagreement on the nature and even the desirability of sug- 

 gestions or recommendations to the General Assembly. 



Both the U. S. and the U. S. S. R. submitted draft resolu- 

 tions on limiting the military uses of the sea. The Soviets 

 desire to prohibit the use of the sea-bed for military purposes, 

 and the Americans want to prevent the emplacement of weapons 

 of mass destruction on the sea-bed. 



Many delegates agreed that the General Assembly should 

 establish a standing committee to consider the sea-bed issues, 

 but emphasized that it should not replace any of the existing 

 specialized agencies nor duplicate their activities. 



Conclusions of Ad Hoc Committee 



At the final sessions, members strived to find an accept- 

 able formulation of their conclusions which could obtain unani- 

 mous support. Although considerable progress was made, final 

 agreement on all issues could not be obtained. The draft de- 

 claration of general principles proposed for submission to the 

 General Assembly and the draft statement of agreed principles 

 proposed for submission are outlined below. The report does 

 not give any indication of how these lists were constructed or 

 which points were unanimously supported. The August-Sep- 

 tember 1968 edition of the U. N. Monthly Chronicle stated that 

 the first list of general principles was submitted by developing 

 countries from Asia, Africa, and Latin America, and the second 

 list of agreed principles was introduced informally by the 

 United Kingdom. 



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