SEABED AUTHORITY OPENS 1998 SESSION; COUNCIL ELECTS PRESIDENT

Press Release
SEA/1574

SEABED AUTHORITY OPENS 1998 SESSION; COUNCIL ELECTS PRESIDENT

KINGSTON, 16 March -- The International Seabed Authority opened its fourth annual session at Kingston this afternoon with meetings of its principal organs -- the 137-member Assembly and the 36-member Council.

The Council, after adopting its agenda for the session, elected Joachim Koch (Germany) as its President for 1998 and approved the extension of Canada and Ukraine as provisional members of the Authority. The Assembly postponed the election of its President and four Vice-Presidents until 3 p.m. tomorrow, 17 March. The meeting was informed that a candidate from Poland had been nominated for the presidency by the Group of Eastern European States.

During the first two-week portion of the 1998 session, through 27 March, emphasis will be placed on continued work on the code for deep seabed mining. The Legal and Technical Commission, the 22-member expert body charged with drafting the code, began its work this morning and will continue to meet in closed session throughout this week.

Under other items on the 14-point agenda, the Council and the Assembly are expected to consider certain institutional issues. One is the draft protocol on the privileges and immunities of the International Seabed Authority. This protocol pertains to the legal rights of the Authority and its staff members in respect of the performance of their duties. A proposed agreement with the Government of Jamaica concerning the headquarters of the Authority will also be discussed, against the backdrop of a new offer by Jamaica to make office space in downtown Kingston available for the Authority's use.

The session is also expected to examine the financial and staff regulations of the Authority, once the Finance Committee has had time to complete its work on these matters. Half of the membership of the Council is to be elected for a new term beginning this year. The annual report of the Secretary-General and the adoption of the next budget and the scale of assessments are to be addressed in August.

Council President Koch was elected by acclamation after being nominated by Australia on behalf of the Western European and Other States Group. He heads the Division for Legal Questions related to Economic Activities in the High Seas and Polar Regions, in the German Ministry of Economics.

Outlining the tasks associated with drafting the mining code for exploration of the international seabed area, the President emphasized that those regulations must ensure the protection and preservation of the marine environment in the interest of the common heritage of mankind. He encouraged countries which had not yet ratified the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to take action immediately.

The President requested that regional groups meet tomorrow to agree on the four vice-presidents for the Council in time for its next scheduled meeting on Monday, 23 March.

Canada and Ukraine were granted a further extension of provisional membership beyond 16 November 1997 for a period of one year, under the 1994 Agreement relating to the Implementation of Part XI (seabed provisions) of the Convention. There are a total of 14 such members, which are not parties to the Convention but which the Council is satisfied are making good-faith efforts to adhere to it.

Addressing the Assembly, the observer from Peru, a non-member of the Authority, expressed the dissatisfaction of his Government with the provisions of the draft mining code. He said they did not adhere strictly to the provisions of the Convention and, as such, did not do justice to the interests of the developing countries which had, in good faith, agreed to the Convention by consensus. He said his country was especially concerned about provisions on protection of the marine environment and called for the establishment of funds to aid coastal States most affected by seabed mining. He added that Peru was considering a decision to ratify the Convention.

Brazil endorsed the views expressed by Peru and said they were shared by members of the Group of 77 developing countries. In the Council meeting, Nigeria also supported the position of Peru.

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