INTERNATIONAL SEABED AUTHORITY RESUMES FOURTH SESSION
Press Release
SEA/1592
INTERNATIONAL SEABED AUTHORITY RESUMES FOURTH SESSION
19980819 Assembly President Issues 'Urgent' Appeal for Members to Pay Dues; Russia Asks for Action on Seabed Minerals Other Than Polymetallic Nodules(Reissued as received.)
KINGSTON, 17 August (International Seabed Authority) -- The International Seabed Authority opened the second part of its fourth annual session at its headquarters in Kingston this afternoon with meetings of the 138-member Assembly and the 36-member Council.
Assembly President Tadeusz Bachleda-Curus (Poland) opened the meeting with an urgent appeal for members to pay their assessed contributions to the Authority. To date only 59 members had paid a total of $2,856,283 towards the 1998 budget, leaving an outstanding balance of $1,847,617. The amount received by the working capital fund stood at $118,430, representing a shortfall of $77,570. According to Secretary-General Satya N. Nandan, with a current monthly expenditure of approximately $250,000 the Authority would be in arrears to the tune of $184,961 by the end of August unless additional contributions were received.
"I wish to remind all of you that the assessed contributions of members to the administrative budget of the Authority is a legal obligation and must be fulfilled. The situation is urgent", the President warned. "We cannot and must not put the operations of the Authority in jeopardy."
The President announced that the Protocol on the Privileges and Immunities of the International Seabed Authority will be opened for signature by member States next week, and formal signing ceremonies will be held on 26 and 27 August. The signing ceremonies will be conducted under the direction of Palita Kohona, from the Office of Legal Affairs of the United Nations.
The Protocol will remain open for signature at the United Nations Headquarters in New York until 16 August 2000. The Protocol was adopted by consensus by the Assembly on 26 March 1998 and will take effect 30 days after the deposit of the tenth instrument of ratification or accession.
Poland, a provisional member, announced that its instrument of ratification will soon be submitted.
Russian Request
Yuri Kazmin, representing the Russian Federation, introduced the issue of the future exploration of the international seabed area for mineral resources other than polymetallic nodules, citing discoveries of large, rich deposits of cobalt crusts and polymetallic sulphides by United States and Russian scientists. These resources could prove to be of greater market value than those in polymetallic nodules, he said, mentioning as an example an estimate that zinc from such deposits may amount to 37 per cent of the total zinc available on land.
The Russian delegation said it was formally invoking a procedure under the 1982 United Nations Law of the Sea Convention [in Article 162, paragraph 2 (o) (ii)], calling for the Authority to adopt rules on exploration for such mineral resources other than polymetallic nodules. He said his delegation was "officially" making a request to the Authority pursuant to this Article of the Convention.
Article 162, concerning powers and functions of the Council, includes the following provision cited by the Russian representative: "Rules, regulations and procedures for the exploration for and exploitation of any resource other than polymetallic nodules shall be adopted within three years from the date of a request to the Authority by any of its members to adopt such rules, regulations and procedures in respect of such resource."
Following a suggestion of the Jamaica delegation supported by Indonesia and Germany, it was agreed that the text of the Russian statement would be circulated later.
Kenneth Rattray, head of the Jamaican delegation, extended the sympathy of his country to the Governments and people of Kenya, United Republic of Tanzania and the United States for the loss of lives in the recent terrorist bombings in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam.
Council's Work
In the Council meeting, President Joachim Koch (Germany) stated that the main work of that body for the two-week meeting would be to continue consideration of the draft mining code submitted by the Authority's Legal and Technical Commission during the meetings in March. The Council will begin consideration of Regulation 2 of the code, and will work in informal sessions to facilitate participation of all members.
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In response to a query from Brazil, the Secretary-General assured the meeting that the draft report of the June workshop held in China on environmental impact arising from deep seabed exploration would be revised and circulated to members in due course.
The meeting was informed of three vacancies on the Legal and Technical Commission, created by the resignations of Hans Amann (Germany), Marcellin Mve-Ebang, (Gabon) and Mr. Toshio Sakasegawa (Japan). These vacancies must be filled during the August meetings.
Among other issues to be addressed by the Council is the agreement concerning the headquarters of the Authority against the backdrop of an offer made in March by the Government of Jamaica. The proposed 1999 budget and the scale of assessments will also be considered by both Council and Assembly taking into account recommendations by the Finance Committee.
United States Briefing
The United States gave an informal briefing following the Council meeting to inform members about its Government's efforts to mobilize support for accession to the Law of the Sea Convention. Maureen Walker, head of the United States delegation, said her Government had placed the highest priority on obtaining approval of the Convention.
The United States is one of the countries which have not yet ratified the Convention and whose provisional membership expires on 16 November 1998.
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