6. REPORT OF THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN 

 RELATIONS ON THE 1958 LAW OF THE SEA CONVEN- 

 TIONS, APRIL 27, 1960. Excerpts.'' 



LAW OF THE SEA CONVENTIONS 



Wednesday, April 27, 1960. — Ordered to be printed 



Mr. FuLBRiGHT, from the Committee on Foreign Relations, 

 submitted the following 



REPORT 



[To accompany Ex. J to N, inclusive, 86tli Cong., 1st sess.] 



The Committee on Foreign Relations, having had under considera- 

 tion Executives J to N, inclusive, four conventions on the law of the 

 sea, and an optional protocol concerning the settlement of disputes, 

 reports the conventions and the protocol without objection and recom- 

 mends that the Senate give its advice and consent to their ratification. 



Purpose of the Conventions 



The purpose of the four conventions and the optional protocol on 

 the law of the sea is to codify existing international law and to estab- 

 lish additional international law in this field. The conventions are 

 concerned with the rights and duties of states and vessels in the terri- 

 torial sea, contiguous zone and on the high seas, rights and responsibil- 

 ities with regard to fishing and conservation on the high seas, and the 

 formulation of "international law" with respect to the exploitation of 

 the natural resources of the continental shelf. Not covered in these 

 conventions are the questions of the breadth of the territorial sea and 

 the extent of exclusive fishing rights of coastal states. 



, Committee Action 



The four conventions and the optional protocol were transmitted 

 to the Senate on September 9, 1959. The Committee on Foreign Rela- 

 tions held a public hearing on January 20, 1960, and the record was 

 held open for 30 days thereafter. The principal executive branch wit- 



*Source: 86th Congress, 2d session. Senate. Executive Report No. 5, p. 1, 9-11. 



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