Fact sheet: U.S. oceans policy and the Law of the Sea Convention. (includes the text of the agreement)

On July 29, 1994, the Agreement Relating to the Implementation of Part XI of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea was adopted and opened for signature at the United Nations in New York. The Agreement fundamentally changed the provisions of the Convention (Part XI) that establish a system for regulating the mining of mineral resources from the deep seabed beyond national jurisdiction. The purpose of the Agreement is to remove the obstacles to the acceptance of the Convention that have prevented the United States and other industrialized countries from moving to become parties to it (see page 109).

The United States believes that the Agreement satisfactorily addresses long-held objections to the Convention's seabed mining provisions. Therefore, the United States signed the Agreement and has submitted the Law of the Sea Convention and the Agreement together as a package to the Senate for advice and consent. Entry into force of a widely accepted and comprehensive law of the sea convention--to which the United States can become a party--has been a consistent objective of successive U.S. administrations since negotiations began on such a convention over two decades ago. As of March 19, 1996, 87 governments are party to the Convention, including Germany, Italy, South Korea, and Australia.

Background: U.S. Oceans Interests

The United States has important and diverse interests in the oceans. As the world's pre-eminent naval power, the United States has a national security interest in the ability to freely navigate and …