The historic signing of the United Nations Law of the Sea Convention has been signed, allowing the establishment of the International Seabed Authority. This will allow for clear governing and regulation of the body.

Published Saturday, December 11, 1982

SIGN LAW OF SEA CONVENTION 119 SIGN

-Turkey stands alone

-150 sign Final Act

REPRESENTATIVES OF 119 states yesterday put their signatures to the United Nations Law of the Sea Convention, and by so doing prepared the way for the work of the Preparatory Commission to begin by March next year, and, later, for the establishment of the International Seabed Authority when the Convention is ratified by at least 50 states.

The Preparatory Commission is the body that is to prepare the way for the Seabed Authority as well as for the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and draft regulations to govern preparatory seabed investments and future seabed exploitation. It is also to consider the precise location of the Authority's headquarters in Jamaica.

Only 60 signatures were necessary to approve the Convention and for the commencement of the work of the Preparatory Commission, which was established by resolution. The fact that nearly 120 states signed was regarded as a signal triumph for Jamaica.

Signing of the Convention, which includes 320 articles and nine annexes, took place in a session lasting nearly three hours yesterday, from morning to noon, at the Rose Hall Beach and Country Club in Montego Bay where the 11th session of the United Nations Law and Sea Conference had been taking of the place since Monday.

The conference ended yesterday afternoon with addresses by Mr Tommy Koh, president of the conference; Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs for Jamaica, Rt. Hon. Hugh Shearer, and UN Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar, who arrived at the Donald Sangster International Airport at about 2 p.m. to take part in: the closing ceremony which started at 4 p.m.

Included among the 119 signatories of the convention yesterday were 117 sovereign states and two non-independent states, Namibia and Cook Islands. Among those not signing were Antigua, Belgium, Benin, Botswana, Federal Republic of Germany, the Holy See, Israel, Italy, Japan, Libya, Luxemburg, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Portugal, the Republic Korea, Samoa, San Manna, Sierra Leone, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Those which signed the Convention are not legally bound to adhere to it but their signatures oblige them not to defeat the Convention objects and purposes. The Convention is open for signing for the next two years.

Several states which did not sign the Convention signed the Final Act of the Conference. In all, 150 countries signed the Final Act which includes resolutions adopted by the Conference and a formal account of the proceedings.

By signing the Final Act, the countries are allowed to have observer status at the Preparatory Commission but will not be able to vote. The states which signed the Final Act but which did not sign the Convention have two years in which to decide whether they will sign the Convention.

One representative of a country which did not sign the Convention but signed the Act who did not wish to be identified said that his not signing the Convention did not represent any reservation over the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, but certain “constitutional procedures” had, to be undertaken before a decision about signing the Convention is taken.

The only country represented at the Conference that  signed neither-the Act nor the Convention was Turkey.

Twenty-eight states and agencies of those invited to the conference did not participate in the signing ceremony, being absent

The signing ceremony which began shortly after 9 o'clock commenced with a statement by the president of the Conference, declaring that the Final Act of the Law of the Sea and the Convention, having been adopted by the Conference, were open for signatures.

The first set of signatures to be affixed were those of the Executive Secretary of the conference, Mr David Hall; the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, Sr. Berardo Zulera; and the president of the Conference, Mr Tommy Koh, of Singapore. The countries and agencies, starting with Pakistan and, going by alphabetical order after that, were then called upon to sign.

The formal signing ceremony which saw Jamaica's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rt. Hon. Hugh Shearer, Hon. Winston Spaulding, minister of National Security and Justice; and Dr Kenneth Rattray, of the Jamaican delegation, sign on behalf of Jamaica, ended with the signing of the Final Act by the last person to do so: the representative of SWAPO (South West African Peoples Organization) which was one the bodies having observer status.

After this, Mr Koh announced that 120 countries had signed the Convention and that the first Instrument of Ratification had been received from the government of Fiji. Later, however, the Secretariat at the Conference revised the figure of those signing to 119.

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