§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Which, if any, of the following seas they recognise as "historic seas", and therefore "internal waters" of the relevant state: the Kara Sea, the Laptev Sea, the East Siberian Sea, the Chukchi Sea, the Sea of Okhotsk, the Gulf of Sirte, and the Gulf of Taranto.
§ Baroness YoungWe are asking the Soviet authorities again for information on the current extent and nature of present-day Soviet claims concerning the Arctic Seas mentioned by the noble Lord and the Sea of Okhotsk. In the absence of that information we are not able to take a view on their claims.
Like a number of other states, we do not regard the baseline drawn by the Libyan Authorities in the Gulf of Sirte as reconcilable with International law. The Gulf of Taranto is claimed by Italy as an historic bay but the arguments on which the Italian authorities rely are not known.