LAW OF THE SEA (GENEVA CONFERENCE)

HC Deb 08 April 1959 vol 603 cc15-6W

11. Mr. Awbery

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he is aware that the United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea, held last year, failed to agree on a fixed width of territorial waters; and what nations expressed themselves in favour of three, six, and 12 miles, respectively.

Mr. Selwyn Lloyd

Yes. The three-mile limit was not put to the vote. A proposal for a six-mile territorial sea received forty-five votes and a twelve-mile proposal gained thirty-nine votes. The detailed lists are:

VOTING AT PLENARY MEETINGS 1958 GENEVA CONFERENCE ON THE LAW OF THE SEA
State	U.S. Proposal 6 miles (†6 with historic fishing rights)	Eight-Power Proposal 12 miles
Afghanistan	‡	*
Albania	†	*
Argentina	†	*
Australia	*	†
Austria	*	†
Belgium	*	†
Bolivia	*	*
Brazil	*	†
Bulgaria	†	*
Burma	†	*
Byelorussian S.S.R.	†	*
Cambodia	*	*
Canada	†	†
Ceylon	*	*
Chile	†	*
China	*	†
Colombia	†	*
Costa Rica	‡	*
Cuba	*	†
Czechoslovakia	†	*
Denmark	*	†
Dominican Republic	*	†
Ecuador	†	*
El Salvador	†	†
Finland	‡	‡
France	*	†
German Federal Republic	*	†
Ghana	*	*
Greece	*	†
Guatemala	†	*
Haiti	*	†
Holy See	*	‡

State	U.S. Proposal 6 miles (+6 with historic fishing rights)	Eight-Power Proposal 12 miles
Honduras	*	†
Hungary	†	*
Iceland	†	*
India	*	‡
Indonesia	†	*
Iran	*	*
Iraq	‡	*
Ireland	*	†
Israel	*	†
Italy	*	†
Japan	‡	†
Jordan	†	*
Korea, Republic of	†	‡
Laos	*	‡
Lebanon	†	*
Liberia	*	†
Libya	†	*
Luxembourg	*	†
Malaya, Federation of	*	*
Mexico	†	*
Monaco	*	†
Morocco	†	*
Nepal	‡	*
Netherlands	*	†
New Zealand	*	†
Nicaragua	*	†
Norway	*	†
Pakistan	*	†
Panama	†	*
Paraguay	*	†
Peru	†	*
Philippines	‡	‡
Poland	†	‡
Portugal	*	†
Roumania	†	*
San Marino, Republic of	*	†
Saudi Arabia	†	*
Spain	*	†
Sweden	*
Switzerland	*	†
Thailand	*	†
Tunisia	†	*
Turkey	*	†
Ukrainian S.S.R	†	*
Union of South Africa	*	†
U.S.S.R	†	*
United Arab Republic	†	*
U.K	*	†
U.S.A	*	†
Uruguay	†	*
Venezuela	†	*
Viet Nam, Republic of	*	†
Yemen
Yugoslavia	†	*
	45–33–7	39–38–8
Voting For	*
Against	†
Abstained	‡

No proposal gained the necessary two thirds majority of those present and voting.