Law of the Sea (Hansard, 14 June 1994)

§ Mr. Barry Field
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the United Kingdom timetable for signing the UN convention on the law of the sea.

§ Mr. Lennox-Boyd
The UN convention on the law of the sea—UNCLOS—is no longer open for signature. We are considering whether to accept the proposed agreement on the implementation of part XI of the convention and thereafter whether to accede to UNCLOS.

§ Mr. Barry Field
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made as to which major maritime nations will not sign the UN convention on the law of the sea.

§ Mr. Lennox-Boyd
The UN convention on the law of the sea is no longer open for signature. The United Kingdom, United States and Germany did not sign the convention when it was open for signature.

§ Mr. Barry Field
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the countries which have signed the new law of the sea convention; and if he will list them.

§ Mr. Lennox-Boyd
Some 155 states and four other entities signed the law of the sea convention when it was open for signature between 1982 and 1984. Some 61 states have now ratified or acceded to the convention. I have placed in the House of Commons Library a list of signatories and one of ratifiers and acceders.

§ Mr. Barry Field
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made as to which developed countries are expected to sign the United Nations convention on the law of the sea.

§ Mr. Lennox-Boyd
Most developed countries, but not the United Kingdom, United States or Germany, signed the United Nations convention on the law of the sea after it was opened for signature in 1982. No major developed country ratified the convention. Many may now do so following the adoption of the agreement on the implementation of part XI of the convention, which the General Assembly is to consider in July.

§ Mr. Barry Field
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the timetable for the adoption of the United Nations convention on the law of the sea by the General Assembly of the United Nations.

§ Mr. Lennox-Boyd
The United Nations convention on the law of the sea was adopted by the third United Nations conference on the law of the sea in 1982. The agreement on the implementation of part XI of the convention will be considered by the United Nations General Assembly with a view to its adoption in July 1994. The convention itself comes into force on 16 November 1994.
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§ Mr. Barry Field
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the likely timetable for agreement to be reached on part II of the United Nations convention on the law of the sea; and if he will list the countries which have raised objections to it, indicting the nature of the objections.

§ Mr. Lennox-Boyd
Part II of the United Nations convention on the law of the sea has not been the subject of any negotiation since UNCLOS was concluded in 1982. Many industrialised countries objected to the terms of part XI, concerning deep seabed mining, including the United Kingdom, United States and Germany, which refused to sign the Convention. The United Nations Secretary-General's consultations on part XI, which began in 1990, have recently been concluded. A draft resolution and a draft agreement on the implementation of part XI will be submitted to the United Nations General Assembly on 27 to 29 July. I have placed in the House of Commons Library a copy of the draft resolution and agreement.