HC Deb 18 February 1985 vol 73 c359W
Mr. Malone

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those articles of the United Nations convention on the law of the sea which Her Majesty's Government consider as having achieved the status of customary international law.

Mr. Rifkind

Customary international law is based on state practice. In order to prepare the list requested, it would be necessary to examine each point in detail to assess how far the specific provisions in the text of the convention reflected state practice. That would not be practicable.