SEABED COUNCIL CONCLUDES CURRENT DEBATE ON MINING CODE

Press Release
SEA/1583

SEABED COUNCIL CONCLUDES CURRENT DEBATE ON MINING CODE

KINGSTON, 26 March -- The Council of the International Seabed Authority concluded this afternoon its work at the current part of the Authority's session, with calls for cooperation, solidarity and a greater resolve to tackle the key issues in the draft mining code when the session resumes in August.

General statements on the mining code that will regulate exploration for polymetallic nodules in the international area of the deep seabed continued with statements by Brazil, United Kingdom and the Sudan.

The representative of Brazil, speaking on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries, said the Group "distances itself from the present draft in a number of key matters". He outlined three main areas of concern: provisions for protection and preservation of the environment; regulations on the confidentiality of information supplied by seabed contractors, and training programmes and technology transfer issues.

He said general concerns for environmental preservation and the desire to seek expert advice on environmental protection was encouraging. However, "scattered around the draft code and sacrificed on the altar of confidentiality, these regulations do not seem to provide either sufficient data or appropriate information for the Authority to fully comply with its mandate of effective regulating, managing and monitoring seabed mining activities", he said.

The Group of 77 welcomed the workshops planned by the Authority to deal with available knowledge on the environment and the technologies envisaged for mineral exploration and environmental protection. The first of these, he said, would be held in China in June, with the second scheduled for Kingston, next March.

Regarding training programmes and technology transfer, the Group sought information on specific benefits gained from training, the fields of specialized knowledge covered and the costs involved.

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The United Kingdom representative endorsed an appeal made earlier this week by China and the Russian Federation to make the code attractive to prospectors and investors, since actual mining was still a far way off. The text of the mining code should be clear and in strict conformity with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. He cautioned against past trends towards "North-South confrontation" while expressing optimism that, given the nature of the composition of the Authority, no such confrontation would occur.

The Sudan called for a reconciliation of differing interests to enable the Council to arrive at a consensus. It wanted contractors to pay for training, and favoured unrestricted flow of information and a stronger role for the Authority in regulating seabed mining.

Closing the meeting, Council President Joachim Koch (Germany) gave notice of a very intense round of meetings when the session resumed in August. He added: "I think we have made a good start in the deliberations of the draft mining code and we have to put in considerably more efforts during the next session."

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