§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Australia about its withdrawal in March 2002 from the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. [177424]
§ Mr. RammellIn March 2002, Australia opted out of the compulsory dispute settlement procedures provided for in Section 2 of Part XV of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) for disputes concerning the interpretation or application of articles 15, 74 and 83 of UNCLOS relating to sea boundary delimitations or those involving historic bays or titles. This exception is provided for in Article 298(l) (a) of UNCLOS. Australia has not therefore withdrawn from the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) and there have been no discussions between the Foreign Secretary and the Government of Australia regarding any such withdrawal.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Australia about the economic implications of the International Unitisation Agreement for East Timor. [177425]
§ Mr. RammellThe UK Government has not sought, and would not seek to become involved with this bilateral agreement between Timor-Leste and Australia.