§ 64. Mr. Awberyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if British trawlers are now fishing within the 12-mile limit imposed unilaterally by the Icelandic Government which need to be protected by ships of war; and, in view of the chaos which is likely to arise out of unilateral action in spheres other than fishing in which multilateral action and international agreement is necessary, if he will now press for an early decision by the United Nations Organisation.
§ Mr. ProfumoThe answer to the first part of the Question is, Yes: havens protected by ships of the Royal Navy have been established within the 12-mile fishing limit claimed unilaterally by Iceland.
With regard to the second part of the Question, Her Majesty's Government have consistently maintained that there is a need for international agreement concerning the Law of the Sea. They hope that an agreement on the matters still 30W outstanding—the breadth of the territorial sea and fishing limits—may be reached at the Second Conference on the Law of the Sea which, under a Resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly last month, is to be convened in March or April, 1960. They regret very much that it has not proved possible to have this conference earlier.