§ Lord KENNETasked Her Majesty's Government:
What machinery and procedure for the settlement of disputes involving naval vessels is proposed in the draft text under negotiation at the United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea.
§ Lord GORONWY-ROBERTSArticle 297.1(b) of the Informal Composite Negotiating Text would allow States parties to the convention to exclude disputes concerning military activities from the settlement procedures specified in the convention. If this option were not exercised, the settlement of disputes concerning naval vessels would be subject to the relevant provisions of the convention; those at present under discussion include reference to conciliation, arbitration, the International Court of Justice, and the proposed Law of the Sea Tribunal.