INTERNATIONAL COUROF JUSTICE
PZEADI-NGS,ORAL ARGUMENTS, DOCUMENTS
FISHERIES CASE
(UNITED KINGDOM v.NORU7AY)
VOLI7MEbV
Oralprooeedlngs.-Docriment~.-C~rr"~~po~d~~eAFFAIRE DES Pl?CHERIES
[12QYAUMEUNI c.HOR~GE)
FISHERIES CASE
(UMTED RINGDOM P.NORWAY) COUR INTEKNAKL'I:ONAEE JUSTICE
MRMOIRES, PLAIDOIRIES ET DQCUMENTS -
AFFAIRE DES PÊCHERIES
(ROYAUME-UNI C.NORVEGE)
Pr&dure ode. - Documents- CarrespondarnceTous droits rkservés .par la
Courinternationale de Justice
Al1 rights seçerved by the
InternationalCourtofJustice UEUXIEME PARTIE
PROCÉDURE ORALE.
SI?ANCESPUBLIQUES
teaxeau Paluis dlu Paix,L;nHaye,
du '25sepfdmbre zg ocfobg.&lerB dLc'cemb~951,
$OMSka $r6sidmm deM. Basdmanii,Présidefi8
PART XI
ORAL PROCEEDINGS
PUBLIC STTTINGS
held afh,P&m Pdace,The-Hagw,
fplnmSeptemhr 25tta Octobezgth,~8 on Dscmber r8lh195~.
theP~e,sidm.AB:Basdeumi,$vesiÇIi~.g DOCUMENTS PRÉS'ENTÉS A LA COUR
APRES LA FLN DE LA PROCÉDURE ÉCRITE
(~GLEMENT, ARTICLE 48)
PART XII
DOCUMENTS SUBMITTED TU THE COURT
AFTER THE CLUSURE
OF THE WRLTTEN PRUCEEDINGS
(RULES OF COURT, ARTICLE 48)SECTION A. - DOCUMENTS PRÉSENTÉS PAR
L'AGENT DU GOUVERNEMENT DU
ROYAUME-UNI
SECTION A.-DOCUMENTS SUBMITTED BY
THE AGENT OF T H.E GOVERNMENT OF
TEE UNITED KINGDOM
3, "LIST OF DOCUREWTSWEETCH THE GOVERNMENT OF
TITE UNITED RIRGDORI WSHES NOW TO FILE WX'XH
THE COURT AND KEASONS FUR FILIWGTHESE DOCU-
RTENTS AT THIS STAGE OF TITI?CASE",WITH
14,APPENDICES
(A~X TO LETTER OF SEPTEMBER ~gth,1951,FROM THE AGENT OF
THE GOPERWRfEaVT OF THE ENLTISD KING-DPM TO THE REGISTRAR,
SEE PART IV,L-.--PUNDENCE)
r. Tuo chmZs of iJEetartbwescoarstofSwhfld marked with a
$exkedgrem limsh.miq theareasofsea.leihthe UmitedKi'ptgdow
Gousrame~iclwim nsterrito rada~sirdhisregaon
In paragraph527ofthe Countes~Memoriathe Nor~egian Govern-
ment said that "since the British hlemorseferto the coastof
Scotlandand Ireland,itwotrld bc intering toknow exactlyhow
the territorial waters are definecl dong CO~S~S'''Toth& the
United Kingdm Gu~mnment replicd (par409 oftheRepty) "the
definitioof thesecoastsisnnotcalledfor in these proceedings".
In paragraph rSo of its Rejoindethe NcirwegianGovcrnment
reortd asfollows;
"TheNorwegian Government, for its part, had askedthe British
Governrnentto inditate how the lines would be drawn,acmrding
to thsarnesysternofftliecoasts ofthe United Kingdom, in
para. 527 ofthe Counter-Mernorial).astç(see..-r instance,
The British Goverilmencm no longernow evade the issue
by alieginthat itwas anxious tokecp thisinformationas a
'bargahing pointn-
Nor cm it y longer evathe Nomgiasi Government'srequest
on the pretethat,ifothernatiaiis-including tU~ifedKing-
dom-'have not published charts or lidefrnhg the litniof their temtorid waters',there is'of corne a gmd reasonYor that
'inasmuch asother nations define theirlin- generally by reference
to theirtoasts.The pnbiicatlon of clrartsor linesherefore assumes
far less importance for such coiintries than itdoes for Norntay.'
' (Reply, para. 65, p. $0, Vol. 111.)
The British Gavernment liasnune tlie Iess refnsed ta awede
to the Norlvegian Govemment's request to bc infnrmd how the
rimitmuid be defined on the coastof the United Kingdom, accord-
ing to tlie Britisprinciple. Thereason giveitto justiiy thirefus;il
isof someinterest (Reply, para. 409):
'Thedefinition of thesecmts is not calledfor in these proceèd-
ings, 'Indecdprecise definitionis, generally speaking,necessnry
in practiceonly ~vlienthedelimitation of coikstawaters departs
rladieablyfrom the accepted [si!] niles for the tide mtlrk and
for bays and islands as is the case with the 1935 Decree.' (Our
italics.)
These aspments manifestiy da not pr'ovidc n very mlid found-
atim for thisrefusal. It would certainly bc of ver? gr& Zvzbered
to ascertain, by rvay of cornparison, tubat wonId bc the resiilt
of the British 'system'iitwere ~lppliedto the coastsof the United
Kingdom, particularly to the Scottish coast.
Are WC not justifredin believing that ifcharts of that sort,
showhg thc application of the British Government 'ssystem to
its own coasts, coulcl have strengthened itç position in regard
to the Noi-wcgian limit, it wciuld have produced them on its owa
it$iii'td?kVhat ccrncl,uçiiçtherefare tobe drawn den itrefuses.
to do 50-'.PtspP1 oeihe inuiCaZa'crddressed toit ?"
The chartswhichthe Govemment ofthe United Kingdomwishes
now to Fileshowthe claim to ter~itorialwaters which the Govem-
ment of the United Kingdom at present makes, on the basis a£ its
own unrlerstandirifof the rules of international lam in
(a) the area "CapeWrafh ta the Flannan Ides including the
northern parts of the North Rllnch and Lewis" (the chart
fjled herewith as Appendix No. r), and
(h) the arec?. "Ardnamurchan to Summer Isles including the
Inner Channel and the hlrinch"(the chart filed herewith as
Appendix No. 2).
Naturaily, the Gt-cmment of the United Kingdom reserves the
right ttoreconsides its daim toterritorial Waters in tlrisrcgionin the
Iight of the judgment which the Court x?Ji delives in the preçent
4
case.
Z. Dana'slz and Swcdish flotes,dated the 18th Jdy, rggr, to $?te
Govem~ent or U,S.S.R,
Inparagapli 120 of its Réply the Govemment of the United
Kingdom drm attention to tlie notes pteçented by the Govern-
ments of Denmark and Sweden to the Goverment of the U.S.S.R. 568 AUTRES DO.WMENTS
in 1950 and reference was made to a Press releaseIssueclin Stock-
holm bv the SweiiïsliRlinistryfor Foreign Affairs on 25th July,
1950 . opiesof the notes were rzotannexed becaiise, so far asthe
Government ofthe United Kingdom was atvare atthat tirne,they
lrad nat been published.In Annex. III ofitsRejuinder the Nont7e-
gian Goveriirncnt pubrished the text othese notes infull [for tvhikh
action the Govanment of the United Kingdom is pteftrl), but h
paragraph 263 of the text of itRejriinder theNorwegian Govern-
ment challenged thc intcrprctation which the United Kingdom
Governrnent had placed apon the Dailish md Swedish noies- On
18th Jdy, 1951 ~urther riotes'werpresented by the Governments
of Denmark and Sweden to the Government of the U.S.S.R. and
the Governent of theUnited Kingdorn considers itdesirablcthat
copies of these notes should be brought to theattention of the
Court ascanstitnting eyidence of the latest attitude othe Gùvern-
mmts of Denmark and Sweden on the subjeçt of territor iaters.
Copies of these notes are, therefore, âttached respectivdy as
AppendicesNos. 3 and 4 tc,thisannex.
In paragrnphs 207-226 of the Cotrnter4lemarial the Norwegian
Governrnent referredto some ço-cded "façts sevealing the riew
tendencles ofmaritime international law".It citedinthisconnection
a numbes ofrecent decrees or proclamations, issuedby the Heads
of certain Statesin which these Statespurpoded toclajm the right
to exetcise çomc form of jurisdictionover larrgcr ccoast, dts than
they had p~eviously claimed. In paragraphs 122-125 of ib Reply
the United Kingdom Govmnwent, \hile not dmying that such
daims had been made, argued that it was equaliy truc that otber
States had expresçly declinedto recognize these daims. Copies of
notes fram the United Kingdom Government to theGuvernrnents of
Peru and Chile .rverannexed to the Reply as Annexes 38 and 40
asan indicationof the refusal of the Governrnent of the United
Kingdom to recognizethwe daims.
In paragraph 264 of its Rejoinder, howerter, theNorwegian
Government retnrned to this point.In this pm'gaph the Norwe-
. gian Governrne~lt stated %kat "the facts which have ben referred
to in the Counter-Dl as heing evidence of a rnovernent tu
~vhich at presentthe practice ofStates conforms,provide doquent
proof ancipermit of no doiibt conceming the genersttrend rvhich
hasasserted itself sincethe failureofthe Conferenceof xg30''-The
Nonvsgian Govemrnent theri citediaterdicl,
(a) The Yngoslav Law of28th November, 1948 {Annex rrz,
No. 33 a,of Rejoinde~) ; (b) The Icelandic Law of 5th A4pd, 1948, and thclIcelzcndic
Regulations of zznd April, 1930 (hnex r 12, Nos. 22 a and
22 d,of Rejoinder) ;
(c) An Egyptian decree of 18th Fanuary, r.g51 t-hnex 1x2,
No. 12 a, ofRejoindes),
In addition, in Annex 112 ofthe Rejoinàer, cGPieswere filed ofa
decree of the '~resident of Honduras dated 28th January, 19jo
(No. 20 b) ;ofa.decree of;theJ'untaof the Founders ofthe Second
Republic of Cwta Rica, dated 2nd November, 1949 (No, 91,and
of a decreeofthe President of Ecuador, dated zznd Febmargr, 1951
(No. 14 b),
In these circurnçtmceç the Government of the United Kingdom
fed it desirable to file ful lvith theCourt the folIowingfurther
docurnentary evidence:
(d) Correspund~uee bchifeen the Govvernment of the United
Kingdom and the Governrnent of the Federative Peoplc's
Republic. ofYugoslavia (Appendis No. tothis annex) ;
(b) Notes from the Government of the United Kingdorn to the
Goverment of Iceland (AppenClixNo. 6 to Ehisanncx) ;
(c) Note from the Goversrmentof the United Kingdom to the
Governrnent of Egyp-t(Apbendix No. 7to this mnex) ;
(dl Recent legislatiorof the Govtlrnment of Elonduras on the
subjcct of ttrsritorial waterand the Continental shelf,and
twa p~otestnotes ddvcred hythe Goverment ofthe United
Kingdorn tcithe Governrnent of Honduras on this siibject
(AppcnclixNo, Sto this amer;) ;
(e) Recent legislat iothe Goverment Of Ecuadar on the
subject of territoriawatersand the continent shelf, ad a
protest note delivered by tlzeGovetnrnent ofthe United King-
domto the Government ofEcuador on this subjec(Appeririix
No. 3 to this art~iex);
(?) Recent legidation of the Guvernmentof Costa Rica 011the
subjmt of territorialwaters and ths continental shelf, and
two protest notes delivered by the Government of the United
Kingdom to the Goverment of Costa Rica an this subject
(Appendix No. zo ta thisannex) ;
(g) Article7 af tlia PoliticConstitution of El Salvador (1590)
artd note delivered by the Government of the United Icing-
dom to the Government of E1 Salvador protesting agaiiist
this article(AppendixNo. ~r to thisanex) ;
(h) The FaIkland Islands (Continental Shdfj Order inCauncil,
1950 {AppendixNo. 12 to this,ann ex)
(2) Notes delivercd by the Governrnent of the United State osf
herica to other governmcnts on the suhject of temtorial
waters and the continental sheU (Appendix No. ?3 tçi this
amex) ;-57O AUTRES DOCUMENTS
j Note ddlvered by the French Gevernment tothe Government -
ofthe United Kingdomgivingthe observations of the French
Goverxtment tvith regard to the claimç of various Latin-
American States to extend their territorid waters (Appendix
No. rq to this anncx).
4
Aj5fimdi.1~No. x
Chart: CapeWrath to FlanrianIslcs
[Nd reFoduced]
Appertdix No. 2
Chart:ArdnamurchantoSumer Jsles
[RTodr@oX~ca~
A$$~tdix' No. 3
Note, daled 18thJuly, 1951, from the Gwernrrient of Denmark tothe
Eo~eniment of the U,S_S,R,
A l'occasion de certainessaisies de navires danois auxqueIles ont
procédkle3 autoritk soui6tiqucs dans la mer Baltique, la légation
royale de Danemark, par unc note da z4 juiilet1950,a soutenu que
1s Gouvernement danois n'a jamais rccotlnuIç: drojtpour aucun des
Etxts riverairfide 1âBaltique, de revendiquer des eaux territoriale
dans cettemer de 12 milles jnnsins.La légationa en outre souligné
lunitesfixes pour l'ktendtiedesieslixterritoriales,calculéeel1ce qui
concerne lesÉtats de laBaltiqhe, à trois ou, dans certaicas,à quatre
milles marins,et que les eaux au delà deceslimitesdoitrentetre consi-
der& comme mer libre, etne peuvent donc, seIon lesrèglesdu droit
internattonal,faire 1,'objt 'uneoca~patioi~.Pm consequent, un 4lar-
gissement de ceseaux ter~tmialesdconstitue, del'avidu Goi~vernement'
c.Contree cesteobservations,le minidéser ldes Affairesétranghes de
1'U.R. S. S,, dailssa rkponse k lalégation du31 aoat rggo, a faitles
objections suivantes: qu'il nkexis?epas, clans ledroit international,
de règlesgénérales sur1'6tendue des eaux territoriales; que 1"tablisse-
ment. de l'ktmdue dcy eaux territoriales estuniquemmt du ressort
de la cornpetence der, Etrrten cause ; que l'étendue deseaux territo-
rialesde 1Union soviétique a,kt4 fLu& par !rie osdonna~icedu 15 juin
1927 sur la protection des frontièresde 1'Etat.soviétique et par un
arrêtedu septembre 1935 concernant laréglementatiori de la peclie
et la.protectiodes paissons, dispositiol; gislativesqui ont putii6esen m?me temps que Teur promulgation, Se'référantà ces dispositions,
le ministke des Affairesétranghresdc 1'U.R. S. S. soutienque l'àffir- .
mation suivant TqueIleun certain élargissementdes eaux territoriales
deI'Union sovietiqueetune atteinte audomaine de la mer libre auraient
eu lieu,cst dknuée de fondement, et que lesrEsetves prises par lwu-
veniement danois quant Lla validitk d'unelargissement. pnr un Etat ,
de son territoiremaritime au delà des limitesEtablies par I'hYtoire,
ne peuvent pas viser {esdispositionslégislatiws prorndgnhs enzgz7
et en ~935- Pour cetteraison,le ministererejette l'afimation contenuc
dans !anote de tal&gation relative me atteinte, par l'Union sovié-
tique, au domaine de lamer libre.
,4propos de ce qui prédde, lc Gouvernementdanois désiredl&gucr
que les dispositions législativesprorndpées en xgz? et en 1935 n'ont
pas pu s'appliquerau @lie de Finlande, étant dome que, par le trait4
de paixconclu à rlarpat en 1920 entre la Finlandeet Z'U.R. S,S., les
eaux territbrides de l'Union sovihtiqne ont étéfixe= à quatre milles
marins, Eljes ne peuvent pas nonplus serapporter au territoiremari-,
thne des Etats baltes,1.u que ceux-ci n'&aient pas, A cette epoque,
incorporés dans l'Union soviétique, Le Gouveniement danois n'ignore
pas que l'Union soviétique rkclame un territoiremaritime de 12milles
marins le long de ses cdtes de I'ockanArctique etde 1'Asie,mais ce
n'est que cesderniCres années, ch faitdes arraisonritirnetits navires
danois par les patrouilleurs sovi&tiques,que le Gorivernement danois
a appris laprétention de l'Union soviEtique d'avoir droit à exercer
sa11autorité dans la Balfique -sui'ün territak,es'ktendant essentielle-
ment au delh deslimites territoriales doles Etats riverainsde lamer
Baltique ont jusqu' prksent tenu compte, Ce nkt qu'crirelation avec
laremise de la note de laL4gatinndu 24juillet rggoquele Gouverne-
ment dai~oisaCtkoficielement informé que Icsinterventionsdes auto-
~ité~soi/iétiquesvk-à-VIS des n:tyira danois s'appuient sur l'ordon-
nance du xgjuin 1927 concernant laprotection des frontièresdeI'Etat
sordtiquc cZl'arrêtédu 25 septembrt: 1935~elatif àla rkglementation
de lapkhe.
neLcontientrpas de riiglesfixes suri'éteqduesdesleauxiterritotiales, ce
faitne signifiepas du tout quc chaquc Etat peut, h son gr&, fairedes
revendications =bitsaires Acc sujet.Be l'avis duGouvernement danois,
il en est surtout ainsi lorsque, dans un domainesi~xtrêpement limit6
que celui de la Baltique, ou, pendant des sihclcs, 16 Etats rirter~ins
ont libremeiltpratiqué !a pkhe et la navigation,m seul rieces Etats
cherche, par un klargissement exorbitant de son terrifoire rnantimc,
A dérober aux autres une partie essentielledesdroits dont ilsont joui
juçqu'à présent.11ne se voitdoricpas à meme de modifier saconceptian
exposée dans la note de ta lkgationduq juiliet rg50, suivan?ciquelle'
les revendications d'un territoiremaritime de IZ milles marins dans
la Baltique,formulées pax YUnion sovietique, impliqum~t lm élargisse-
ment des eaux teritorislesnu delk des limites établies par l'histoire
et une atteint au domaine de la merlibre, portant prejudice aux
intérétsdanois.Jusqu'kprésent,d'autres pays, y comprisle Danemark,
ont pupratiquerpaisiblement la @&e dans les domaine5oGTes autorit&
soviétiques cherchent maintenant à l'empecher, Il existe donc, de
l'avis du Gouvernement danois, un empiétement non Ionde sur des
droits acquis i juste titre et s'appuyantsurles riiglesgén&almcnt
reconnues concernant le droit de pecheet de navigation en pleinemer. Z'TJiiionsoviktique,dsa part,a,par lanote du3r aoUtqgo, contesté
cette conception,TIcxistt donc, entrele point de vu(lu Gorrvcrnmnt
danois et celuidu Gou\m~tement de 1". IL S. S., unc diffkrenceence
claiconcerne le rkgime juridique,
SileGsuvesnen~en t de 1'U.R. 5,S,nese voit pas à m&me demodifier
sa conception, le Gouvernement danois considérera comme naturel
et utile Ciefaire disparattrecette divergence de vues concernanl te
droit international en la soumettant pour dbcision à une cour inter-
nationale. Il estvrai qu'il ri%xxistpas de traitéentre le Danemark
et I'U. R. S. S.concernant la dkisiorides différendsd'ordrejuridique
pu une cotrr internationaleCcpend,mt, en Leur q't~alitde Membres
des Natiorrs Unies, le 13anernark aussibien que l'Union soviétique,
sont@so facto, en vertu del'article de kaCharte,partiesau Statut
de laCous internafionaie deJustice.
mark Getl'Union soviétique se m~ettentod'accorprpursesoumettreDaAela
.CourciLeaHaye la questionde savoir si 1'U,R. S.S.,et,par là,d'autres
Ebts riverainsde laBaltique, ont, S'aprk les reglesdu droit inter-
national, la facultécles'attribuer nn territoire maritimede rz milles
marins le long de leurs chtesdans la Baltique, et d'exercer,en conçk-
qnence, Bl'iritériende toute cette zonelitto-rde, les droide souve-
rain&@ qui, en vertu du droit international, appartiennent à L'Etat
riverain ededans de lalimite territoriale.
Ap#sndix No. q
Note, dateà 18thJulg, 1951, from the hwemment of Swèden to the
Goverment ofthe U.S.S.R.
In view of the seizurein certain instanw of Savedishships inthe
BaItic by Soviet Union authorities the S~edish Embassy declared In
a note Claic24th July, rg50, that the S~vedishhvernmerit: liad ncvcr
secopized anyriglit of any of the seaboard States hl the Baltic ts
maintain territoriawatersup to IS nautical mileshroad. The Embassÿ
furthet çtated that for centuries pastthe European States had had
ahcd 'aeltoterritoriawater whiclr,s *;Ars the Stateson the Baltic
seaboard are concerned, has moiinted to three or, in certaincases,
four miles,anci that hereby a legal position lias ben created to tlie
effect thatthe sea outside these territorid tlmits musbe re$asded as
free waters and cmnot thereforeunder the sulesof internatitionalIaw
becorne an object of occupation. Conseqizeritlyinthe view of the
involveanwencroachment aponezthesfreedonlof theçeas.oriabits must
To theçe representations the Foreign Ministry of the Soviet Union
objccte id its reply to the SwedishErnhssy given on 3rst August,
qso, that no geneml rnles of internatianallaw exist regardhg the
extent of territorial watersand that it fall sxclusively within the
cornpetenceof the State cnncerned to fîx theextent of itsterritorial
waters and that theextent of thc SovietUnion's territorial waters had
been 5xed by a decreeissuedon15thjune, 1927 ,elating tthe protec-
tion ofthe Soviet Union's national hundaries, and published at thesame the as it\vasisçued.Under reference haeto the l:or~@ Ministry
ofthe Soviet Union asserts chat tl-ieris no gmundwhatsoevct for
thc statement that s certain extension of the Soviet Union'stemitorla1
waters has taken place, md tliat the reservationmade by thc Swedish
Governmeat agnjnst the validity of a State's present actlon inextend-
in& itstel-ritmial waterbeyond the hiçtclricylrecognized limitscanot
apply to the decrce isçued in1927. Ln connect~on lierexvit1theMinistry
rejects the assertion made in the Embassy's note that there has becn
an encrùackmcnt upon the freedomof the seaçon tlie partof the Soviet
Union.
To tSus the StveclishGovernent wishes to maintain that neither
the above-mentioncd legal regulations issu~l in 1927 lror the çlecree
of 25th Septembcr, 1935,nferrecl to in the Soviet Foreip Miriistry's
note of26th May, rgso, relatfrigtu the regulatiorof fishing anclthe
protection ofthc fisheriescm have applied tu the Gulf of Finland,
ivhete the Soviet Union's territorialwaters were fixed by the peace
treaty concluded behveen the Soviet Union and Finland ii~ Dorpat
in 1920 at fournautical miles, norto the territoriawaters of the Baltic
States inthe Baltic, seeing that at that time thosc States were i'iot
incorparateci by the Soviet Union. it 1strue that the Swedish Guvern-
ment have been aware tlxatthe Soviet Union Zays clilimto territorial
waters 12 nantiml miles in widtlialongth& coxts onthe Arctic Ocean
andin Asia.Bnt nst until the seizureaf SweCtisships by Saviet-liussian
toast-guard s~eçseb in ~ecent pars did if conle to the knolvledge of
the Swedish Government that thc Soviet Union inthe Baltic: lays
daim tu exercise jurisdicticiover an area of waters extei~dingfar
beyond tlioseterrit-ot~dlimitstvhith have hithertu been applied by
Statessituated on the Ealtic,It was oiilythrciugltl-ieForeignMinistry's
note of 26th Ma]*, 1950, that it m7asofficially brought to the notice
of the Sirredish Governent tliatthe açts of intervention carliedout
bv the Soviet authoritics a ainst the aforesaid Swedish ships were
bksed on the Decree of 1stf June, 1927, relating tu the rotection
of the SovietUnion'snational bntmdtlties and on the Decree aP25th Sep-
tember, 1925,governing tiic regulation offishing,
The Swedisli Government maintal nhat the fact that there are no
territorial aviitcdoesnnot ibyeany ineans limply gthat each Çtatenmxyof
at itsown discretioli present arbltrary clhs In such a I-espect.This,
in the view of the Swe&lr Government, must be deernd to app1y in
quite a specraldegree to a case wliere one singleState among the sea-
board States witlitnso strictlhted an area as the Ealtiç,in tvhich
al1 the seabnard States have forcenturies past freelycarriedriihhi-ng
and shipping,sseks by an eqorbitaiit extensionof its territoriwaters
to deprive the other kaboard States 01 an essential praiof tlicrigl~ts
which they have enjoyccl Iiitberto. The Government canut Xe their -
way todepart from theit view expressed in the Embasy's note of
24th July, ryiso,that the Soviet Union's cl3;im to territorial waters
extending for j2 nautid miles in the Baltic implics an extension of
itsterritoriawaters over and above ilitlimits set by hstoricaprecedent
fo~ territorial waters inthe area in question and isan encroachnent
upn the freedom of tlie high seas. Swedisli interestsare prejudiced
tliereby. Otl-ier countnesr, inclildiÇweden, have hitherto been able
witlmut rêstriçtion to caw on fishing within those areas it~~vhichSovietazithoritiesare now seebg €0 pretrentthis pmctice.In the view
ofthe Çwedish Government, therefoe, the yrcscnt situationconstitntes
an unjustifiableençroachment upon traditional rights based upon
aii-ii~ersasecognizedrulesgoovernuig the righttu carryon hhing ancl
shipping iritheopen sea.
,The vleiv to tvbich the $w&h Gavernrnent thus kave expression
in their note of 24thJuly, 1950, has ken challenged by the Soviet
Union iiiits note of 3LstArlguSt, XQjO.Herciii, then, liea divergence
of view between tlie Sweclish hvernment and the Soviet Unioa in
regard to the Iegalpasitiçin.
Unles the Soviet Government can see itsway tomodify itsview the
Swedish Govmnment wouldconsider it anatural and appropriatestep
to reçolve tliibfference of opinion on a plnt of internationallaw bg
referriiig ito an internationalcourt for decisirin.Itis truc that no
agreement exists between Sweden and .the Soviet Union segading
the settlementth~ough an internationalcourt ofdisputes acisingbetween
thcrn, but both Sweden md the Soviet Union, in their capacity of
Rkmbers of the United Nations, are under Article 93 of the Clider
ibso factoparties to the Statute of the lntwnational Court of Justice.
The S~vedisk Governrnmt, therefore,take the liberty of proposing
that an agreement be concluded betweer~ Sweden and the Soviet Union
to referto the Hague Court the question ofwhether under intrnatioilal
law the Soviet Unien-and ccinsequcntly other BalticStates aswell-
are entitled todaim asterritorial watersabelt 12 navtical milesbroad
adjacent to Ehcirshores in the Rdtic, and consequentIy to esercise
witIiinthe w11ole of tfiatcostal zone such sovereign rights asaccrue
under international law to seaboard States inthin the limrtof its terri-
torial \vaers,
A$fidix No. 5
Correçpondenm betwm the Goverment ofthe UnitedKingdomandthe
Government of khe FederativePeople's Republiç of Yugoslavia relating
to theYugoslav Law of 28th Novewaters1948 , nthe subject of territorial
NOTE, DATED j tliYAY, 1949, FROM THE GOVERN&fHhT OF LRE UNITED
KINGIiOIVIl'OTHE GOVERMM ENT OF TM FEDERATIVE PEOPLE'S REPUl3T.IÇ
OP' YUÇOSLhlrEA
His Majcsty'sGovernment Bave noted the text of a law çoncerning
the coaçtalwaters of the F.P.K.Y. whicli$vaspublished in the Yugoslav
OfficialGazette No. 106 aithe 8th Decmnhr, where it \vas rerrorted
to have been passed by tlie Federal Couincil&nd the PmpIe's Gouncil
of the National Skupstina eftlhel~.P.K.Y. on the2i5tIiNavember, 1945.
2,In Article 5 ofthe Iaw it is st~ted that theterritoria~vatcrsof
the F.lr.R.Y. are constituted by a strctch of water 6 nautical miles
tvide in the direction ai the open sea, m&oning frm tIicboundary
of interna1sea waters or Emm the Iow-tide Lineon the mainltwid or
on islands ~vhichlie outside the hternd sea waters oI tlie F.P.R.Y.
InArticle3 of thelaw the interna1searvatcrsofthe F.P.K.Y. are definedby means of ahe joining vaions çpccibed points,His Mtijesty'sGovern-
ment are obliged to place fimly on record with the Covernment of
thc F.P.R.Y. that thy do not rccognize territorialjurisdiction over
waters autsida the limit of3 miles from the coast; and tliat they will
not regrird British vesselsengaged in thek Iawful pursuits on tlie high
seasas bcingsubject, witliout the consent of Ris Mzjesty's &vermerit,
to any measmes mhich tlie Govcrament of the F.P.R.Y. may se fit
tu promulgate in pursuano cfcthe terms in Article5 of thelaw concern-
ing coas talwaters.
3. It liasken noted with surprise tliat, owingto therelationdedariid
in ArtEcic5 bettveen territorial waters and interna1 sea waters, and
owng to the defmitionof intemal sea waters in Article 3, theboundav
of terrilorhl waters dahed by Article 3 cloesnot follow cIoselythe
shape of the coxst, bi~tconsists ofa seriesof straight lines. This proce-
dure is çontrary to the gendly acceptcd international practice of
meauring the baundary of territoriawaters fmm the coast lineexcept
where the coat isSU irregularlyindented as ta justi£y some special
procduue. Ili the opinion of His Majesty's Governerit there is no
rvmiit for tieating the coast line of Yugoslavia as a speciat case,
and Ris Ma~es-f.y'G s ntxrnment cannot recopize the validity of the
limitsuas heing territorial,waters thus enclrisecl oubide the ~iormal
with thesMapsi~irliple in pragraplïfinf Article 3dof the lawist.iatbays
and tivcr mouths whose width is not more thm 12 nauticai miles shall
be considered to be inthal waters of the F.P.R,Y. ; and tlicy must
inlorm the Yugoslav Govetnrnent that they caririat recognizaseinterna1
waters baly oçr riversthe mouths ofwhich are \vider than6 or insone
caçes ro nautical miles.
5. In Article8 ofthe IRW concerning the coastalwaters of the P.P.R.Y.
it is stated that the competent 'L'agoslavauthorities may carry out
inspection^of ship'p apers ui cases of justified suspicion and, ifit
should be necess-y, may search ships tinder foreign colours inside
a zone 4 nautical miles wide mlculated £rom the outer limit af terri-
torial waters in the direction of the open sea. His M~jtjestg'Govern-
ment are obliged farmally ta place on record with the Goveriiment
of the F,P.R.Y. that they calmot recognizc.the claim,of a gorrernment
to a contiguozis zone outside territorial waters,and that they will mut
regard British vessels engxged in their lawful pmuits on the high seas
as heing subject, $vithout the conscnt rif 1-IisMajesty's Gove~timent,
to any rncasureswhich the Yngoslav Goverriment may see fit to promul-
garein pursixince of the provisions of tlie artidinquestion.
6.It is noted thai in Articlc r3 of the larv,itis stated that the
provisions of the law do nui apply ta warships sailing under foreign
colours, nor to other t~ssds saiiing mder foreign colouru ~vliichrire
erl"17"lent to warships, and that the entry, transit and sojoum of
foreigntvarships jnthe territoriawaters ofthe F,P.I<,Y *willbe replated
by special decsees of the Governmmt, FIis Majesty's Government
request (an asurmce hom the Yugoslav Government that A-ticle 13
rloa not inaiiy way conflict with the generdly accepted international
principlethat warshipshave thesame rights ofinnocentpassage througk
terri toi-ial waters as otwsseis. k.om tl~e coast. Hls Majesty's Goverment cannot, huwmr,
agree that Tcelandiç entitledtoapplp a 4-mileliit within wkich
United Kingdom wssels are excluded from fisliing.
(hl The baselines clescribed inSection I.of the replations are
unacceptable to His Majesty's Govemment, being drawn in n
manncr wIiich they cornider contrary to international latu.As
the IcelanclicGavernment wu be aware, the cjuestion ofthe
principleswhich should goverri tlidetermination of base-lines
for 5shery purposes js at present under consideration brj the
International Court of J'usticai Thc Hague in cunnectian with
the rights which Notway is mtitld to exercise in thismatter,
His Majesty's Government trust thai the Icelandic Government
will pay due regard to the ruling givm bj~ the Court and will,
if nece';saryamend t'lieirregulatianto conform iriththat ruling.
3. It is liopd that the decision of the Hague Court in the Nor-
wegian case WIU Beavailable durhg the summesof 1951. Since Iceland's
denunciattm of the Anglo-Danish Convention of rgor takes cHect ban
3rd October of that year, itwill clearly be desirable that discussions'
betwcen the United Kingdam and Icelandantliorities çhouldtakeplace
asscionas possible afterthe Courthas givenits judpent, His Majesty's
Gevernment hope tàercforc that the lcclandic Government wîll be
ready to hold these cliscuçsionsatshort notice wEienthe tîme cornes.
They also hopc that, if itshonld iieverthdesshapyen that tlie issue
has lnotbeenfinally dehded betwcen the British and Icelandic author-
itiesby 3rd Octobcr, rggI, the IcelandicGovernment willrefrain from
applying their regdations or taking any iother action affecting United
Kingdom vessels until such the aithe discussions between the two
Governrncnh have bcen concludefi: -
1 avail rnyçellaf thisopportuni5 torenew to Your Exçellcncythe
assurance of rny highest consideration.
(Sigfied)C. W. B.~XTER.
Ris XxcellencyM, Bjarni Benediktswn,
Minister for Foreign Affzlirs,
Reyklavik.
X~E, DATETI 23rd MAY, 1295 1ROM m. J.D. GREE~VAY, RISBRTTANNXC
MAJESTY'S ~~'ISTER LN REYKJAVIK, TO LKE ICELANDIC MINI~TEK FOR
FOREIGN AFFAIKS
Your Exccllency,
I have the honour,under iilstrtrcticinsfrom His Majesty's Principal
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, to invite Your Excellericy's
attention tnmy predecessor'snote No. 47 of 6th July,1950 remrding
the cansmvation offislreriesofthe narth coastof Iceland.In this note,
Mr. Baxtet stated that it vas expected that the decisionof the Hague
Court in theAngl:lci-X~megia isheriesdispiitewould be made available
during the sumrner of rg5r; and expressedthe hope that the Tcelandiç
385y8. AUTRES IJOGUNIEM'TÇ
Goverfiment would refrccinhm hpositrg th& new replations on
the subject uatii jiidpent had been given.
Ris Majesty's Gavernment now leam that thme isnoprospect of a
decision being taken by the Cowt before 3rd October next, when Ice-
land's denunciation of the rgoI Convention cornes hto force. Inthese
circumstances, 1amta expressthe earnat hopethat the new replations
willnot be appliedb~fare there hasbeen an oppontunity for the British
and Tcelandicauthoritiesta discuss thematter in the light ofthe juQ-
ment' to be aven by the Court. His Majestp's Governrncntare most
arixlous that this issue should be settled cluiçkly and amicably, but
they consider that nothing cm be done until thc conclusion of the
present proceedin atgThe Hqe.
Meanwhile, thegrfeel that itis important thal the stdus qao shou1d
be rnarintainedand that nothing shuuld be ailowed to I-iappenwhich
rniglitgiverise toincidentsor engender feeling, wlrich coulonly render
an eveniud settlment more dificult. ofattaiiimm t.
1 avad mysclf of this opportunity to renew to Your Excellencythe
assuranceof my hig11estconsitleration.
(sis&) J.b, GREENWAY.
Ris Excellency the Ministerfor Foreign Affairs,
M. Bjarni Benediktssoii,
Ministry forForeign Affairs,Bykjavik.
A$+mdix Ne. 7
Note,dateda8thMay, 1951f,mm theGovmment ofthe UnitedKingdom
to the Govenunent of Egypt
Hk Majesty'sEmky prsent: their compliments to the Fxyptian
MinisEsg:of Foreign Affairsand liave the hoaour to inform the fi'liiiisty
that Es M,jesty's Govesnment have corne totlle conclusion, after most
carcfulconsideratiori of theclecreerclating tù theterritorial waters af
the Kingdom of Egypt (Jour?zaloficid Bo. 6 CS[18th January, 19511,
that they areunable to arcept th decre asbeing in conformity with
therules of internationalaw,
2. In the opinion ofHls Majlesty'sGovcsrimentthe relevant rules of
internationallw with regard to the delimitation of territoriawaters
are as follrr:s
{a) Subject tospecialLUI& governing bays and idands,the brcadéh of
the territorial sa-except in the case of those States'which cm
establisha presçriptivedaim to a maritime belt wider tl~anthat
allowed by generalinternationalla\w-is 3sea milesmeasured from
theline of low-water mark dong the entireçonst. The lirloflow-
water mark is that indicated on the charts officially iibydtlie
coastnlStatc,providedthe latte linedaesnot appreciably depart:
.from the line ofmcan law-water springtides.
(h) Except in thecase ofhistorîcbays, a Stateisonly entjtledta trace
the base-lineacrossthe wate~sof an indentation at the nearest
point tothe entrance at whichthe width does nat exceed ra miles it appeàrs to go beyond the observationsof Süb-Çornxnifte No- II
at the Hague.Codification Conference whichpermittecl the assi-
. milation of dificial islandç to naturai islands only so long as
they wexe"true portions of thettrsitoqr".
(cJ Asscgard.d srticle4 ofthe decree,His Majmt$s Govenirnent can-
not regard asbeing in confomity with international law those
sections of thearticle (sectio(b),(G)and (d) )wh icl..,definition
ofthe term ''island"whlcli, for reasonalready given (pragraph 3
7b)above), thcy çannot accept. ,QQO Es Majesty's Governmeni
do not in generaladmit that the Egyptian Governmnt have any
right to treat asinland waters any partof .ü~eiçaastal ses othet
tliathe waters within ports and harboursor within baysb ;orclc~ed
by Egyptian territory only, up t.oa base-line dram as described
inparagraph 2 (b) above,
(d)As regards Article 5 of the decree, His Majesty's Governrnent
çannot, forreasons.already gimn (para rapli2 (a) above), accept
theEgyptian daim to a mari.tirnebeIt "6tnanticd des. For the
same season they are unable to accept thoçepcirtjonsof thedecree
(namelyArticle 4 (b),(c) and (d) ; ArticleG (cl,{el,(f) and (g),
and Article 7) wliichdepend- on the fact tbt rz miles, instead
of 4miles, iç citecastwice the distance of territorial waters. ,
(8) As regards Article6 of the ClecreeHis Majesty's Governrnent have
already givenreaçons (paragraph s (mJ and 3(dl above) why they
areunable to accept the grester part of this article'*Nor cathcy
acceptArkle 6 (a)of the cléct'cnesü fat asit apprs toçuggest
that,inthe case of islands, the loiv-watermark is to betaken ris
thelowest low-rvater mark insteaclof the low-der mark at merin
low-watersprinqtide (seepatagraph 2 (a) above). They are also
unable ta accept Article 6 (1)and (gJ in çofar as these sectionsof
thearticle appear tos1igg-t that tliere is a specistlrule gl~erning
groups of islands. As already stated (pariaph z (dl above), in
tlie opinion of His Majesty's Governmei~t, groulx of islmds are
covercd. by ttie same mle as individrxalislarids.
4. 15s Mujec;ty' s ovcrnment are mn6dent. tht the Egyptian Govmn-
ment will welcomt tJnis frank ex-pi~ssionof Ris BTajsty"Goverment's
views on the subject of territorialwaters and inparticular thcy are
hopeful that on further consideratioriof the facts set ozit above the
Egyptian Governmen t tvilfeelable to rnodifvtlie terms ofthisdecree ta
bring them hto line with the views held not only l3y Ilis Majesty's .
Gcivernment but bg the majority of tlie principalmaritime Statesthat
3 sea milesis thepropr lirniof territoridwaters.
5. Ris Majesty'sCovemei~t takt thisopportunityofrenming tothe
Eg-vpifan Govcrnment the assurance of their highcrinsideration. A$fiendix No. 8
RterrituriawatersnandththeGcontinental shelf, andstwo notes fromctthe
Government of the United Kingdom to the Govemrnentof Hondnras
on thissubject
IXGISLATTVE DECREE NO. 102,DATED 7th hMAKCHP, gSD
THENATIONA LONG~S~ DECREES :
drlzcler.-The name of the single cbapter of the frrst sectionthe
name .oftI-isecond section,and Articles4and 153 6f thePoliticaConsti-
tution are amended to read as follow:
(a) Name of tlie singlechapterofthe firstsection:"Ofthe Nation and
itsSovereignty."
(6)Name of the second section: "Of Nationality and Cithcriship."
(C AIrticle4: "The hoiindaries ofWondutas ancl I% temtorial limifs
shdl be detemined by law.-The snbmarine platfom or continen-
tal and insula shelf,and the waters which cover it,inbotli the
Atlantic and 'PacificOçeans, diatever be itsdepth and howevcr
fa it extend,fmrn part ofthe national territory,"
(d) Article Ij3 : "Full, innlienable and imprescriptible dominion
belon@ ,n;the State over the waters of the territoriaseas to a
clistaiimof beteizkilomelyesmestsuredfrom the Iowest tide ; full,
inalienableand imprescriptibledominion wer i ts beaches,lalrcs,
lagoonç, estuaries, tidal riveand streams,not includirig streams
that rise mil dsappear inside private property, and dominion,
equallyfull,inaliemab ;ledimprescriptible,over dl tl~resollrces
existingor that can existinitssubm~trine platfom or continental
- and insnlarshelf, jnits Iritvest çtr2nd the eypanse of seamm-
priscdwithin the vertical planescorresponding toits limits.
Ar#ick2.-The present demee çhdtlbe ratified constitutionalin the
next legislatiyc sessioand cntw into force immediately after its
publication inthe Gazelle.
Givenin Segudgalp~, D.C., in the Hall of Sessions,tlie 7th day of
Marcli, 950.
'Sm N+~TTON G.OLNGKE D ESHEES :
Arlla'de,-The kst artidc ofthe Agrarian Law is herebyamended tu
read as follo\vs :
''A~*c! e,-2%e o\vnersliipof thlandi,n.its doubleaspectof soi1
. andsubçoil, aswell asthe waterscompriscd withh it,vcstsoriginalty
in theState,rrhichhas the righto transmitits controlto indiriduals,
.establishing private ownership.''
The followingbelongs to Honduras r582 AUTRES DOCUMENTS
Ir) The lands situatedon terrafirma within itsterritorialIlimit,nd
au theislmds and "keys" in thePaci6c which have heen held tabe
Hondw anean.
(2) The idands del Cisne (SwanIslands), Viciosas, Misteriosas,Mas-
quitos: and the "keys" Garda, VivorillosCajones, Becerra, Cocti-
rucilma, Çaratazca, Fako, Çrzcïas a Dios, Los Eajos, Pichones,
Pa10de Campeche and al1 ather islanb, banks and reefs situated
- in the Atlantic, over wliicli Honduras exercises dominion and
sovereignty, in additioto the Bay Islands.
(3) waters tvhich coveroit inbothntthenAtlanticiand Pacific,Oceans,
whatever he its depth, and howeverfa1 itextend.
Articl2.-Tbe presmt decreeshaii be rat&-d censtitutionally'inthe
next legislative session and\vilenter into force immediately d'ter its
publicationin the Gaxe&.
Given in Tegucigalpa, DL,, inthe Hall ofSessions, the 7th day af
Marirch1,950.
Aricler.-ArSicl~ 619 and 621 of the CivilCode areherebyamendd
toread as foilo ws
"ArldcI~619.-The Stattisthe owner of dl minesproducing gold,
silver, cepper, platinum, mercury, lead, zinc, bismuth, antirnony,
cobalt, nTckel, tin, arsenicironchrome,manganese, molybdenum,
vanadium,rhodium, iridium,radium, uranium, plutonidrn,tungçten,
sulphur, petmleum, apatita, nefelina,rocksalt;alsothose producimg
saltpetre, preci~us stones, coal andfossilized substances, andwhat-
byerthc MiningralLaw,prnotwitlistandingetlie co~itrcbyalcorporate
bodies or individuals over the earth's surfac heneath ivhich such
products are found. Hawever, the right is concededtoindividualsts
mvestigate and excavate in land ofwhatever ownershipin order ta
rrearchforsuch minerals,and to~ork and develap them and dispose
of them as ownerç,subject tothe requirements and rules presctibed
b thesaid code. tVithregard ta thedevelopment and exploitation
o 7radium, uranium, plutonium, and Other radioactivemetals, as
welIas ofpetroleurn,Zhiswillbe the mbject ofa specid law,
' The State islikewisethe orner of allthenatural resoarces whicl~
exist ocariex?stinitssubmarineplat fçrm orcontinental ,ad insular
shelf, inits Iowest stratand inthe expanse ofsea comprised within
the verticalplanw corresponding to itlirnifs,
Stonefor building ordecoration,sand, slate, clay,he, pozzoTana,
peat, marl and othessubstances, belong to the owier of thesoi1in
which tliey arefaund,under seserveofthe dispositions ofthc Mining
Code." .
'A~ticlc621.-The adjwent sea;toadistanceof twelve kilometres,
rneasnred £rom fie limit ofthe lowest tide, constitutes territorial waters iuider nationalomership ; however,the sisvereigntyof the
State extends tothe submarine platform, orcontinentd and insnlar
shelfand the waters which çover itwhatever be itdepth and horv-
eoer,fa rtextend, without afiectinthe right offree navigatiQnin
conformity with international law."
Articl2,-The presentdecreewill corneinto force immediatdy af te^
DecreesNos. oz and 103 haveben cùnstitutionally ratifieci.
Given in Tegucigalpa,D.C., in the Hall of Sessions,the 7th day of
Marcb, 1g50.
NOTE, DATED ~3rd mm, pgejr,~OM m GOOV~E~ OF m~ mm
KINGWM TO THE GOVERNMENT OF RONQURS
On behdf ofHk Majestg'sGrivernmeat in the UnitedTGngdom 3.have
the honolrrto inforni YourExceUeriq that it lias beebrought to their
attentionthritLegislativeDecree No. xm (amendingArticle 153af the
Political Constitiition of 193as,enacted by the Nationd Congres of
Honduras on 7th March, rgSo, and ratihed by Decree No. 48 of
1st Febmary, Iggr,states that "Fuii halienable and imprescriptible
dominionbelongs to theState over the waters ofthe territonaseasto a
distance of 12 kiIometres measured from the lotvesttide." Likewise
LegislgtiveDec~ee No. rQ4of the samedate (revisinjqArticl621 ofthe
CivilCode), whilereaffirmingthis claim, furtherstaks ththat'Yhesover-
eignty ofthe Stafe extenclsto thcontirlental sheand the waters ivhich
cover it,xvhatwerthe depth and hawever farit may extend".
2. Ris Majcsty's Government inthe United Kingdorn aredisquietcd
by the implicationsof the ahove claims',sinçe it woulappear irfromthe
second le$isLativdeaee referredto tliaitisthe intention of thGovem-
shelf without regardetolthe depth ofsthevséa.In thisrconnectionnit is
pointed out that tfieMeximndeckaration of 9th Qctober,1945 dehd
the continental shelf asrunning from the coaçts of 3kxico up to the
isobath of zoometres orrùg fathoms. The United Statesproclamation of
28th 'ieptember, 1945,was interpretedin a press announcernent ofthe
same day to annex thecontinental shdf upto the isobatof ~oofathoms ;
and Hi5 Majesty's Orders in Council made on 26th Novembcr, 1948,
relatingto Jamaica and the Bahamas respmtively, and the Order in
Council made on qth Octaber, 1950 reetatingto British Honduras, which
extends the boundarics ~fthme colonies toincludethe continental shelf
adjacen tttlieitoasts, areinterpreted 3shaving theeffectof annexing
the continental shelup tothe isobath oiroo fathoms. A similarOder
in Councilmade on zzst December, 1950 n relation to tlieFalkland
Islands expresslydefines the boundary of the area of the continental
shelfannexed. The greaterpart ofthisboundaryisformed bythe isobath
of rm fathoms, and the remaining part takeçthe fom of a straightline
diviçiinthe areaof thecontinental shelEannexedto theFalkland Islands
from the mainmm ofthe continental shelfof South America. The depth
of the sea dongthislatte partof theboilndary isless than100 fathoms. 3. Inthe light ofthe foregohg considmationsHis Majeçty'sGovcrn-
ment inthe United Kingdom, wMe not opposed ir prinçipleto claimsto
.the exercke of sovereignty over the sea heclcontipous to.the,Hondu-
ranean Coast, areunable to,recopize the claims set forth inthe above-
rnentioned legislativedecree.
4.The action of the Govenunent of ~ondins, moreover,in claùning
that sovereignty may be extended to adistanceof 12kilcirnetresfrom.the
cmt of the Repnblic or a1ternatively over Largand undefineciarcas of
ffte high seasabove the continenta1 shelf, appearsto be irreconcilable
withthe principleç niinternational lawgoverning theextent of territorial
waters fomerly reçognized by the Government of Honduras andby the
great rnajorityof otlier maritime States. The four Ordersin Council
referredfoabovc,aUexprèsdy prcservethe characier ashigh seas of the
waters above the continental shelf and outside tbe limits ofterritorial .
waters. Jn thfs coiinecti~n13sMajesty'sGovernment inthe United King-
dom rvish toplace iton record with the Government ofHonduras that
they do not recognize tlicdaim of Honcltirasto exescissovereigntyover
waters outside alimitof 3miles rneasured from the lorv-\vatermarkaZong
thecaast.
5. His Majjesty'Governrnent In the United Kingdom recognize,how-
ever, that the protection of fisheries and the conservation of naturai
resources in the high =as outsid~ territoriawaters area properabject
ofagreement betweeia al1interested States.They regard as a desisable
madel for th& type of agragreernethte North-West Atlantic Fiçheries
Convention negotiatd bet~veen nofewer ttlan eleirm States interested
in developingand maintaining the fisheriein the North-!$TestAtlantic
ancl signedin Washington on 8th February, xg4g.His Majesty'sGovern-
ment would padicularly dmw the attention of the Govemment of
Hondurasto ArticleXII1 of the said convention,~vhichreaclsasfollocvs;
"Thecontracthg Governmenb agrea toinvite theattentionof.an7
governrnent not apxty to this conventionto any matter re1a.g to
the fisking activities inthe convention area of the nationds or
vessels ofthat Government which appear toaffect adversely the
operations of thecommission orthe carrying out of the objectives
of ths convention."
From tbis it wi11e seen that theconvention provides for thép~sition
not only ofthose Stateswliosemtionals arealreadydeveloping~d main-
trcinuigthefisherieçinthe arca irquestion but dso foririvitingtheCO:
opration of other Statesnot îmrnediately interested, and thereore not
parties of the convention, but who rnay becorne so interestedin thc
future. They note,horvever,withregret thatLegislativeDecreeç Nos. xoz
and 104 daim to estriblishsovereignty over thhigh seas withvizt having
obtained any agreement of thk type and withoet providing my sxfe-
pards with respect to tlieestabfished interestsof other States. They
therefore wish to place It onreçord witk the Govament of Honduras
that, until,sn anhagreement has been reached, they do not recagnize
and wFllnot consider their national5 asbeingsubject to any measureof
restriction ocontrol aver thehigh seasoutside territorial waters, whick
the Governrnent of Honduras may seefitto yromdgate in pursuance
of,theaheve-rnentioned legislative decrees.
I avaïimyself of this opportunity to renew to Your Excellency thé
assurance ofmy highes tconsideration.
(Sigwd) G. E. STOC~EY.
-NOTE, DATED ~0th SEXYÇEPMBER, 1951, EROM TKE COVERNhfXNT OF TnE
IJMiTEDKINGDOM TO THE GOVEHNMRNT OF WONI3URAS
Ymir Excellency,
On behaliofHîsMajeçty'sGoyment in the United Kingdom, Ihave
the hononr to inform your Excellency fhat ithas been broiight totheit -
attention that LegislativeDecree No. 25,as enacted by the Congress of
Hondurason ~7th January, 1951, colifirmthe Decres of the President
in Criuncilof MinistersNo. 96 of 28th Jonuary, 1950 l.
z, His Majesty's Goirernment, intheir note of 23rdApd, rgsr,bave
drawn the attention of tbe Government of Honduras tc Legislatlve
Decrees Nos. 102 and 104 of 7th hlarch,~ggo, and have given reasons
why they find thernselves unable to recognize these decrees as being
fdly in accordance with iatemational law. His Maje~t 's Government
bave no rvis;hto repeat rslhatthey have aIready saiB in the alriove-
mentioned note, but iiotice, however, thatiil Legislative Deçree No25
of 17th Jariuary,rggr, certain gcneraarguments are advanced inorder
tojustify theaction taken by tlieGo.r.ement ofHonduras not inly
in Decrec No. 23 itseIbut dso in the earlierdecrees (Nos.roz,log md
104of 7th March, ~ggo), -
3.Inparticular,Hiçnilajesty'sGovemme inttnoprecmebleat
to Decree No, 2j,itis stated thatitis "commonly rwugnhed and estab-
lishcclininternationallaw" that the sixbmuine platfom or continental
shelf "legallbelongs to the adjacenrtiparian States~vhohavethe right
to prçiclaimthei-r~ovcteigntyoves itand ovcr the waters dich cover -
it".His Najesty's Government do not acqt this statementas a correct
statement of the internationalaivbmring on question.Wllile not
opposed in principle toclaimsby a littoral tltattaexerciscsovereignty
mer the continental sheIf opposite its shores uto a certaindistance,
His Rlajeçty'sGovernment wish to placeit on ~ccord-that they clonot
regardthmselves asbeing obligedto acceptanyclaimmade by alittoral
State to exercisesovereignty over its continentashetf beyon8 adepth
of logfathoms (zoometres). This was the depth claimedby the p~~icl~Tt
of Mexiw ir iis proclamationof29th October,1945. The depth usuaEly
regarded, howevet, us thc outer limit of the continental shelf is
Ioo fathoms, which \vas tliedepth mentioned in the White House press
releme of 28th Scptember, rg45, accompangii~gPresident Truman's pro-
clamation of the mme date.It \vasdço tlie maximumdepth claimed in
the United 1CingdomnO s rderinCouncil of a~stDecember, qgo, relating
to the con.tinentashelfoffthe FalklandIslands.His Majeçty's Govetn-
ment therefore,asthey have already stared intheir note 05~3rdApril,
rgg~~ are nnable ta accept tlphciple that the sovereigntof Hondurdç
extends to the slrbmarineplatform "whateverbe its deppth and lwwever
far it extend".
4- Firrthermme, as aiready skted In theirnote ofzpcl AN, rggx,His
Majijeçty'Govemment cmot in any way acceptthe clah of Honduras
to cxercisesovereignty over thewaters whichmr its subrnarine plat-
form beyond adlstancc ofthree seamileç fromthe low-watet markalong
the cost. Naxcan they xcept tlie argnment advancd in the preamble
ta Legslativc Decree No. 25 that this righis nowarecognized right of
'Fo rhc OeKtofthis de- $ceNorwegiaa Rejainder,hnex 1r2,No. 2ob. 586 AUTRES DOCUMENTS
international law on the strength of proclamations made by certain
Headç ofStates since 1945.Such a rightwas in no way claimed by tlie
_Presidents ofthe United Stateof Ameriça and of Mexico intheir procla-
mations of 28th Çeptember, 1945 a,nd29th October, 1945r ,espectively,
Itiç tniethat claks of this nature aremadein the proclamation of the
- Ptesidentof Chiie(~3rdJune.,1947)~in theproclamation oftlie President
of Peru-(~sAugust, x 47))andin the Decreeof the Juntaofthe Founders
ofthe Second ~e~ubtc of Costa Rica (27tJhuly. 1948) .is Majesty's
Government ,however, have notifieclthe Governmentsof these couniries
that they are unable to accept these unilateraldaims as liaving any
validity in internationlaw.13sMajesty's Government wish to empha-
size,thatin theitview,the right to exercissoverejgntyover the conti-
nental shelf orsubmarineplatfom inno way carries&th it the rightto
tion, theywouldgxemindthethGovernment of Hondumsfadof the wosdingnof-
the following proclamations andenactments ;
a
(ilProclamation ofThePresidmt of the United States of America
witli respectto the naixral resowcesof the subsoiland sea bed
of the continental shelf, dated 28th September, 19;5
"The haracter as highseas ofthe watersabove the continental
shelf and the righto theirfreeand unimpeded navigationare in
no way thus affected."
di3TheSubmwine Arcasof the Gslf ofParia (Annexation) Orderof
6th Aupst, 1942 , adeby Ris Majesty in Çowcil :
"Nothlng inthis ordershalL:1
(tz affectorimply nnydaim to, anyterritory abovethe surface
of thesea or any part ofthe highseas,or
(b) prejirdiccnny rights of passaor navigationon the surface
O- thesea,"
(iii} The Bahamas (AIteration of Boundaries) Orderin Councilof
26th November, 1948.
The Jamaica (Alteration of Eouadaries)Order inÇouncil of
26th November, 1948,
CouncilBof9thhOctaber,s1950.a-ation of Boundaries) Orcles in
The Falkland Islands {Continents!Shelf) Orderin Gouncil of
z~st Decernbes,1950 :
"Notliing in this ordeshall bedeemed to affectthe chmcter
ashigh seas of any waters abovethe continental shelf and outside
the Iirnitofterritoriawaters."
{iv)The Royal Tronouncement of the Ring of Saudi Arabiawith
respect to the.suhoil and sea-bed amas in the PwSlan Gulf
contipous ta thecoasts of+theKingdom of Saudi Arabia, dated
28th May, x949 :
"'Thecharader ashigh seasofthe watersof suchareas,tlieright
to thefree and unirnpeded navigationof such waters;and the air
space above those waters,fishing rights isuc11waters, and the
traditionalfreedomof pearling hy the peoplesof the gulf,are in
no way affected." Similarphraseo lsogedin the proclamationsofthesnlersof Bahsain
(5thJune, x~g), Kuwait (12th June, 1949) and of other States in the
Perçian Gulf. It should alsobe observedthat inits report, ccrverinits
third session, the International Law Cwimksion recommended that "tlie
exerciseby a coastal Stateofcontrol andjurisdictioover the continental
shclf does not affectthe legal statusofthe superjacentwaters as high
seas".
5.In paragraph 4 of their noteof 23xd April, rggr, His Majwty's
Governme~it have alrmdy stated that'"hq do n~t recognize theclah
.ofHonduras to exer&e sovereignty over waters ontside a limit of three
miles measured hm the low-water mark dong the coast" ; and that
.consequcntlythey cannot accept Legislative DecreeNo.102 of7th March,
rgsu,whichdaim that "Full, inalienable andimprescriptible dominion
belorigsto the Stateover the waters of the territoriseas to a distance
.of12 kilometresrneasured from the lowest tide",asking In acco~dance
with the principlesofinternationatllaFor tliesame reasun HisMajesty's
Government wish tobnngit tothe noticeoftheGovexnrnentofHonduras
thatthey cannot ~ccept, as being inaccordance with the principles of
5ntmational law, hicle III ofLegslative DecreeNo. 25 of17thJanuary,
rggz. in 50 far asitclaims to extend the protection and mntrol of the
State inthe AtlanticQcean "over the whole extenta£seacomposeilwith-
.in theperimeter fomed by the coast and a parallellinezoo nautical
miles distantfrom tlie northçoast of the mainlandof Honduras".
1 availmyself of this opportunity to renew to ywt Excellency the
assiirariceofmy higliesconsideration.
Afipesada'No. p
RecentIegislntion ofthe Govanment ofEcuador an the subjeo cftdto-
rial watersand the continental shelf, andanote, dated 14th September,
1951,from the Governmenlof theUnited Ringdom tu the Government
of Ecundoron this ~ubjecf
DECREE OF THE CONCRESS OF fHE:REPWBLZCOF ECUADOR, D.4TED
21stFEERUARY, 1951,EEL4'iING TO TERRITORIAL WATERS
TheCongress ~f the Rcpblic ofEcuado~
Whereas itia urgent todetermine in an exact formthe juridiction of
Ikuadar over the territoriawaters ;
Whereas the AmericanCommunityof Nations adopted the mlntien
on territor iaters secdrdedat the 1st and 2nd meetings of Ministers
for Foreign Mfairs,held inPanama and Havana in the years xgjgand
1940respcctively, atwhich it\vas remmended that "The American
States çhould adaptin theirprticular legislatiothe principla and ruleç
scontainedin snch declarations",and
- FVhereasas a consequence ofmilitaryprûgcess the nations are enlarging
the limitcofZlieirjurisdictian aveterritmialwaters, AUTRES DOCUiMENB
Art.1.-The continentalshelf or"zwle" adjacentto the Ecuadorim
caastsand al1and every natural resonscfound thereon be1ong to the
State,which wrlcantrol theexploitationosuch resourceancltheprotcc-
éionof Ulecorrespondingfishing areas.,
Art.2.-The Ecuacionmcontinental shelf isconsideredto comprise
the submergeclland,contiguouçtocontinentaltemitory,which scovexcd
by not morethan zoo metres of water.
Art.3.--NationaL territoriwaters comprise a minimum distance of
Ecuadorian Pacifie coas*aswell asthe inner watersofothe gulfs, bays,
straitsand canaismmprised rvithîn a line drawn betweerr such pro-
montories.
Alsoconçidered asthe territoriseaare thosewtel-scumprisedtvithin
a primeter-of 12 nauticalmiles rnemred from the outermost promon-
tories of thfarthest islands nf the ColAmhipelago, thestipulations
of Art. r othlslaw being applicable inthicase.
Ad. 4.-Slronld, inaccordance with the twms of dny international
conventions or treatieon this subject,such as the Trmty of Mutual
Assistance,the maritime areasagreed upon forpoliçing and protection
wiIlprevaiEandavilibe enforcedas partofwthis decrewithin the extent
and range of such treaties,
Ar$.5.-Ry this present decrewhichwiU be inforcexs frain thdate
of its pcililic;ition.O@cide Ga2etl8,the perkinendispositionsofthe
civiIlaw, the maritimepolicelm, and my laws in contradictiontu this
decree arehereby amended.
Givm at Quito, in the Meeting I-idl othe National Congres, 6th
Nuvember,rggo,
ThePresident of the Senate, .Presidentof the Chmber ofDeputies,
DR. ABELA. GILBERT. DR. RUPERTA OLARCOF N~CONE.
7he Secretar oyfthe Senate, Secrciary of the Chamber oçrfeputies,
DR. KRFAE GLALARZ A. DALTON CAMACH NAVAPRO.
Ta be enforce%--
(Sipied) GALO PI,AZA,
ConstitutionalPresidentof the Republic,
(Signed) M.IlIAZ GRANADUS,
Minister of NationalDcfence.
Gr tifiecopy-
The Under-Secrotary of~af'ionalDefence, DTHER DOCUMENTS 539
ARTICLES 1 AND 2 OF THE DECRRE OP TITE PRESTDENT OF TKE REPUBLIC
OF EÇUADOR, DATED 22nd FEBRUARI', 1951, HELATLNG TO THE LAW ON
SEA FISHYh'GAND HUNTING
Art.1.-Tlie State exerçisesitssovereignty over thetefitonal waters
(seas, insularand continenta1 waters, lakes,ponds anclriver systems)
and theit resources.
A7#.2.-For purposes of sea fishing and hunting in general the
territorial watersof theRepubEic willbe conçidered to cimiprise12 nau-
tical miles, measured from the line ofthe lowest tide at the extreme
points of the furthest islands lorming part of the Colon Archipelaga
(GalaprigosIslands), aiidalso as coinpi-king12 nautical miles measurecl
lrom the line othc lowest tide attlieextreme points of theEçuadorian
mainland and its adjacen inlands, without prejudice to ariy fur-thcr
extension or modification alter the definition of whnt is to bc uncler-
stood under the terrn territorialwaters ol the RepubIic.
His Majesty'sEmbassy prtsents its compliments .to the Ministry
ofForeign Affairs of thc 12epublicof Ecuador and has the honour to
inform the Ministry tlixt HHisMajesty's; Governrnent in the United
Xingdom have came to the conclusion, aftcrmost careful consideration
of tliDecree relatiiig to tterritorial waters of theRepublic ofEcuador,
signer1by the President of the Republic on ~1st 1-ebruary,xg 31, that
they are unable to accept this decree for the reasen that it is not in
confomity witli the rulcçof international law.
2. The Decrce of i~st Pebmary, 19gr, lias two main fnnctions :
(a) todefine the extent of Ecuadorianterritorialwaters ;
(b)to lay daim to the continental shcEf ofithc coasts of Eciiador
and the natural resources container1thcreon, and to define the
extent of such continental shelf.
3. With regard to2 (a}above, itis noted that Article3 ofthe decree
claims for Hcuador a territoriasex of xz nautical miles. HisMajesty's
Government in the Uilited Kingdom wisli to place on record tvith
the Governrnent ofthe Republic ofEcuador that they do iiot recognize
the sightof Ecuados teclaim territoridwaters outside s lirnit of3 niiles
rneaured from tlze lineol lorv-\vater mark. In this connection they
invite the attention of the Govcrnment of the Republic ofEcuador
to the notes presented by Mr. Jerome to Sefior R. H. EEisalde oii
zznd June, 1915 , y Mr. London to Dr. Don Alejandre Poncc l3orga
on 20th March, x935, and by Mr. Bullock to Dr. Bon Luis Bassano
on 4thRlarch, 1938 H.isMalesty's Governmenttpish furtherto ernphasize
that, in tlieir viewArticle 3 of the Decree of zrst February, 1951, is
coritraryto international law in that,not only dues itclaiin a 12-mile
limit, Sutit alsfailsto statthat, subjectto certaingenerallyrecognixed
exceptions,such asbays aiid islands,theoutcrlimit of territorial waters
must be rneasured from the low-water mark along the entire coast. 590 AUTRES DOCUMENTS
The formula indicatd in Article 3 seerns to envisage the drawing
of base-lines between the "outermost promontaries of the Ecuadorian
Pacificcost" regardess of the distance apart of such promontories
and reprdless of the fact whether the waters enclosed by the base-
lincsdrawn between successive promontaries constitute a bay in latv
or not.
4. Withregard to z (4) above. it inoted that Articler oftlie decree
stateçthat "the continental sheIf or 'zacle'adjacento the Ecuadorian
coasts and al1and e1ter-natural resüurcefound thereon belong to the
State, ~vhich\vil1contra1 the exploitation of such resources and the
protection ofthe correspanding fishingareas" ; whilçt Article oftlre
decree defines the Ecuadorian continenta1 shelf as "the subrnerged
bnd, contiguous to continental territorwhich iscoveredby not more
than zoo metresof water". His Majesty's Governmcnt are not opposed
in principletothe daim of the Republic ofEcuadortu exercise control
over the reçourcesof the continental shelfcon tiguous to the çoastsof
Eciiador up toa depth oi zoometres even ifsuch controlextends beyond
the intesnatio~iallyrecogniz idnit of territorial waters (i.e3 sea
miles). His Majesty's Governrnent cannot, Iiowever, accept any Eçua-
darian claim generally to cantrol fishinaseas outside the 3-mile lirnit
of territorialwaters. In this connection His hlajesty's Gotrernrnent
wjsh to draw the attention of the Government of Ecuador to Article 3
ofPart r oftlieAnnex to the reportof theInternationalLaw Commission
'covering its third session, 16th May-27th July, 1951 (U.N. doc.
ASCN, 4/48of30th July, 1951, at p.57), whlch, intheir vicw accurately
states the existingIaw on thissubject, The articlc. says: *
"The exerciseby a coastalState of control anclSurisdictionover
the continental shelfdoes not affect the legal status of the super-
lacent waters as high seas."
Intlie conception of His Maj~ty's hvernment in the United King-
dom, tlierisRO right under internationallaw to contml fishing outside
the limit ofterritorial waters unless tlrightfoms part of anhistaric
daim to the regulation of seclentary fisheries, evcn then such regu-
lationdoes no2 affect the general statusofthe area as higliseas.
5. 'Fo rhe reasons given inparagraph 3above Wiç Majesty'sGovern-
ment in thc United Kingdom feelcompeZledta place on record with
the Government ofthe Repubfic ofEcuador tliat theyarea1so unable .
to accept Article z of the decree relatingto tlie Law an Sea Fishing
and Hunting,signed by the President ofthe RepubIic onzznd February,
1951, forthe reason that it is not iconfomity with the rules of inter-
national law.
6. His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdomçonçider that
Ecuador has no right to enforce and the United Kingdom would have
noduty to acknowledge the enforcement of tliose portionof the Ecua-
dorianDecreeç of z 1standzznd February whichHis Majesty's Goveril-
ment have stated in this note that thev are unable to accept, Torthe
reason that such portions of the decrées arc not in confohity witli
the rulcs of international law.
Ais Majesty's Embassy avails itself af this opportdity to renew
to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic ofEcuador the
assurance of its veryhlgh consideration. OT~R DOCU~MENTS
A&hdix No. ro
-
Recent Iegislatîonofthe Eovernmentof Costa Rica an the mbject af
territorialwaters and the continental shelf,and two notes from the
GQvernmeno tfthe UnitedKingdom to the Governmentof Costa Rica
on thissubject
r. It is absolutely necessaxy to legislaté ivithout delay for the
protection ancl cunservatioriof the aatural resonrceç now known or
hereafter tobe knawn to existon, in ar mder the national terrain or
an, inor under the adjacent çoastai waters, continental or insuhr,
the conservation and develapment of which are vitally important to
the nation and therefore dernandprciper care.
- 2. To arriveat a methodical and technical rrgtl1atioof such national
reçources it isessential that the State should proclairnits national
çovereigntyand jurisdiction over the terrain and adjacen wtaters, just
as other nations have doae (aide l'resident of the United States of
hmerica, 28th September, 1946 ; Presidcnt of Mexico, 9th October,
1945 ;President of Argentina, 11th October, x946 ;Pr~ddent of Chile,
23rdNovember, 1947 ; and Presidential Decree of Petu, 1st hgust,
1947)
3- That the international consensus of -opinion prodaims and
recognizes the kalienable right of nations.ta regard as a pmt of the
national territory the rvholextension of the oçean contiguous thereto
and the adjacmt continental areas.
4. That the exploitation andcare ofsessurces existing in its territoq,
maritime, terrestrialand aerid cal19 for protectionby the State,
Aytict~ 7,-National sovereignty ishereby confimed and prochimed
over.thc whole subrnarine platform or socle, continerital or insuIar,
adjacent to the continental and insular coasts of natianal kerritory,
OVC~eal1naturdieresourcesou,iiilor underithe platform, known or nhere-
afterta be hown tù exist.
Brtida 2--The nationa1 soveseignty is hcreby, confirrned and pro-
claimed over the waters ~tdjacenttothe continental andinsular coastçof
national territtirywhatevet th& deptli and to the extentnecesçaryfor
the protection, conservation and exploitation of the resources and
naturd productson, in or under thern, existiagor which may hereafter
exist. And fromilo\vç>nthe fishingand exploitationafthese ivaters\vil1
be subject to the care and vigilance of the Costa-Riçan Govemment
so'that inadequate exploitation sl.ial,ot hm national economy or
1 that of the Amencari continent.
Article3.-The limih of the fishingzones in continentxi and insuhr
waters which by virtue of this decree corne under the curitrolof tiie
Costa-Rican Gavernrnent wlll bedetemined in accord witEithis dech- atian of sovereignty asoften as tht Governmentrnayconsiderit desir-
able toratify sme, aznylifying or modifying suc11derna~cations aç the
national interestrnay demand.
Article 4.-The protection by the Stab is hereby declared of dl
waters within a perimeter of zoo sea miles paralle1to the continental
Costa-Rcan toasts.With regard to the islands, the demarcalion will
be fixed to cover a zone of zoo miles from the surrounding coxçt he.
Ard2L.l ~.-This declaration of sovereig&y &es naé ignore sirniiar
. rights- ootferStates on a baçis of reLiprocitynor dnes it affect the
rights offreenavigationon the highçeaç.
UNITED KINGDOM NO- ÇQNCEBNTNG DECREE NO. 116
OF 27th juLY, 1948; DOEr28th~~JANUARY, G1949RX~~ENT OF COSTA K16.4
2t has corne to the attention of His Majesty's Governmentin the
United Kingdom that a decree was publislied by 'the Costa-TCican
hwsnmcnt on 27th July, 1948, regardinÇg wta-Ricm sovereignty
over certain temitory and waters adjacentt o the Costa-Rican coasts.
12eferencewas mariein the decreeto earlieproclamations by the Govern-
rnents of the Unitecl States of Arnwicnand Mexico regarding their.
sovereignv over the continental shelves adjacent to their coasts,ancl
to those of the Argentine,Chilean and PeruviariRepuhlics regarding
their sovereignty over the continental shel and the waters above it.
2. ln their decreethe Governent of Costa Rica :
(i)claim national sovereignty oves the whole submtitine platforni
or"socle", continental or insillar, adjaceto the continentaland
insulm coastsof national territory whatever ik depth ;
(ü)proclaim the extension of national sovaeignty *ver ttte waters
adjacentto the continental and inçularcas tsofnational territory,
.ivliatevetheirdepth, to the extent neceSm for theprotection,
conservatioii and exploitation of the resources ancl natural
prducts in, on, os uiidet them, existing or which hereafter
may exist ;
(iiideclare that the&nits of fishingzones incontinental md insnlar
waters which byvirtue oftlie decre'eehallcorne under the control .
of the Costa-Ricm Gcwerrlrnent shall be determined inaccord
with the declaration of sovereigntyas often as the Govemment
may considerit desirable to ratifythe same,amplifying or rnodi-
fying snch demarcations as the national interest m?y Bemarid ;
(iv) dcclare theprotection ofthe State over allwate~s tvithin,aperi-
meter of 200 nauticd miles parallel to tlie Costa-Rica11coasts,
3. His Majesty'riGovcmmeritinthe United Kingdom are gravely
diquiet ed hy theimplications of the aboveclaims, which go far beyorrd
those put forwardin the earlierdeçlatatians referred to above of the
United Stateo sf herica and Mexico. In particular itwould appear
from the firstitm quoted isr the precding paragraph that it is the
intention d the Costa-Rican proclmnatian to extend its so~erbgnty~
over the continental shelf without regad to the depth of the ses orthe distancehm the coast; and frm the fourthitem that a distae
of zoo riauticamiles from the Costa-Ricm cnaçt may be contem lated
for thesea bed aç wwelaEsfor the watersof thesea, whereasthe 8nited
States Government's announr~tneiiXmade at the the ofthe issue
vf their declaration and thehkxican Seclarationdefine the continental
shelf as th& part ofthe sea bed contiguous tp the continent which
Is mv"med by not more than ~oo fathoms, in the case of the United
States ,ofherica, and not more than zoo rnetreç or19 fathoms, in
the case of Mexico.
4- In the iightof theforegain considerationsHis Majest 'sGovem-
ment inthe United Kingdom, w 7 ,e no*ooppscd in pnnçipYe toclaims
to the mercise of sovereigntyover thesea bed conliguaus to the Costa-
Rican cwast,are unable to seçopize the claims setforth in thedecrce
of 27th July, 1948.
5. The Costa-Rican Governrnent'ç action,on the other halrd,in
clairningthat soverejgnty maybe extendecito large areasof the high
seas above the continental shelfappears tobe irreconcilabiewith the
principlesofinternationallaw ppverning the extent of territor wiaters
liitherto recognizedby the Çoçfa-Rican Government or by the great
inajority ofathe~ maritirne StatesIn thiç connection it ispermisçihle
to point out thatPresident Truman's proclamation of Septemhr 1945,
while assertingcertain daim to thecontml and conservationof fs11eries
adjacent to theUnited States coastmade noclalni ta territorial sover-
eignty over thosewaters-
6. While4 recognizing tlierefare tliat the protection andconhl of
fisheries andthe conservation of the naturai resourc~sin the seasare
the legitimate concesn ofany country within those waters over which
its territoriajurisdictioextendç, WB Majesty's Government wish to
place it onrecord with the Casta-Riçan Govertirnent thst they do n~t
milesnfram theitcoast; norrwiHtthey regard theirinationals orovesxlsee
theaconsent of Ris Majesty's Govcrrrmcnt,stosmyberneaçurescavhictthet .
Losta-Ricm Government havc pcornulgated or may see fit to promu&
gate inpuauance of the decl~tration.
7. Wis niajesty'sGo\.esnment also recognke that the protectioxof
fisheriesand the conservatio ofnnatuml rcsenrces in the high sm
outside territorial waters area proper object of agreement, betweq
thùse States whmenatiorials have joined indeveloping anclmaintaining
the fislieria and in otheractivitiesby which those resources are put
tu use- They are thesefore preprecl to enter into ~iegotiationwith
the Costa-Rican Government, and with any otlierGovcrnment which
may have an mtablished interest in thewaters concerned, inorder to
agrec on çu& protection ,mil conservationofthe resources inthe sea
as cm be prer~ed to be necessür n the cornmon interest, 'l'heynote,
li~wever, with regret tkathe declaratio~îclaimto estahlish protection
and conservation ovcr the Iiighams witkont having obtalned any
such agreement, and ttrithout providing any safeguards wwitlirespect
to The established inierests ofatlieStatessuc11as were mentioned in
the cleclaration madeby the President of the UnitedStatesreferredta
above, They thereforrrvishto place iton'recordwith the Gosfa-Rican
Government that, sntil such an agreement has been rkxched, they do
nrot recognizeand will not considertheir nationaisos vessels asbeing594 AUTRES DOCUMENTS
snbject to my rneasures of restrktiun or çontrol aver the high seas
ciutsideterritorw iaaters which the Costa-Rican Goverriment have
prornulgateçl,or may see fit to promulgate in pursuarice of the
declaration.
DECREE NO. 803 QF THE JUNTA OF THE FOWNnERS OF THE SECOND
REPUBLI,~, DATED 5th NOITEMBER, 1949, AMENDINE DECREE NO. 116,
D'ITED 27th JULY, 1948'
I.Thc protection md prerjervationof fishingresowmç which exist
of theonational territory, botthose alreadydiscoveredor iwellrasthoses
~vliiclirnay besoin the future, wn be fosteredby the improvement-in
me2.1The fiçhingresources,nasyweUt~snmineral onespunder the sea socle,
are of capitali~nportmcctu tlie country and the State as ~iutrifivnal
and iildnstrialwealth and its improper exploitation will result in loss
to the nationals of Costa Rica and to the national and continental
economy.
3. International opinionrecogni~esthe right~uidthe duty of amari-
time Çtate to fostetrhe exolaitatioa ofthe fislieries othe hi~h seas
bordering itscoasts, in a&ordance with conditions peculiar & each
=@on and in l~armany with the private rights and interats af my
other State.
4.To xhie1.e theabove ends it isindispensablethat the Stateshould
praclaim a policy concerningtlic costal fisheries In certain parts of
the lighseas and of its rightsto the richesunder the sea socle.
5. Decree-Law No. 116of27th July, 1gq8, does nat ignore the rights
of utlierStates on a basis of reciprocity,and inaccordarice with this
prlnciple,the pracessof making treaties in ~vhiclifactars relatulgto
the conservation md fishina af sea are ofprime importance has been
stilrted.
6. -bVitthe policy of trreaties whichdl be made inrecognition of
tlie Iegitirnate rigbttlother countries and in conformity with inter-
nationaI practices, it is useidto darify the above Decree-Lam 1x6,
lvhichhas lent itsdf .towrong Uiterpretatîon. Itwill read as follows:
TREREFORE DECREES !
A~iicle1.-Decree-La.w 1r6 of 27thJuly willread asfollm :
Articler.-Nat ional soslereiggi is confirmedand proclaiind
ov& a11the submrine platform and continentaland insularsocle
adjacent to the continental and insular coasts of the national
territory,atwhatever depth thisrnay be, thus reafirming national
rightsto ail natua1 wea1thwhich exists inthe socle or platform.
Arficle2.-The rights and interests of CostaRicaare codmed
over "ce seas adjacent ta the continental and insular coasts of
Costa Rica whatever their depth md the extent necessav to
prescrve and exploit the natutal resouxes and n~alth
xvhich on,inor loelow them exists or tvill e-u.and boni now on tlle fishing,nadexploitationwhich accur inthe 'said seas rem&
underthe Gareof the Government of Costa Rica, tvith the objecf
of àvoiding exploitati uonuited to its nat~ral riches, tc.the
prejudiceof nationals ofCosta Rica, of theeconomy of the nation,
and of theAmericancontinent.
Article 3.-The specifiiation ozones of protection for Cshing
decfee,lcorneundernttheccuntsoloflthe GovernmentasyofcCosta Rica
thelGovernmentinhdscoitaconuenient,whetherabytratifyingenlarging
or modifyingmch limits, athe national interestdemandç.
Ariic!$4.-Tfie pratecti~rtof the State is declaredoves al1the
seas witliin peheter of zoo seamiles distant frm the continental
coasts ofCosta Rica. With regard to Costa-Kiwn isIands thelirnits
VFiH be measured by an arca of sea zoo sea miles from the coast
.of the is1,mds.
Article5.-The rcsentdeclaràtion,to which Articles z,3 and
4 ofthis decreere?M, does riotignore similar legtirnate rightof
0th- countries.ona basis 01 reçiproçitynor does it afiect the
rightsoffrcenavigation on thehigh ses.
Ariiclt!2.-This decreeis effective-fromthe date of Itspublication,
UWTED KmGDOM NOTE CONCERNING DECREE NO. 803 OF 5th NOVEMBEB,
1949, DELIvERED TO THE GOVERNMENT OF COSTA RYM ON
9th FEBRPILRY, rg5o
I, It haç corne to the notice of Hls Majesty's Governmeiit in the .
UnitedKingdomthatadecree, No.803, waspublishedon5t h Nuvember,
rwg, by the Government of CmtaRica regarding Costa-Ricaa sover-
eiglity over fhcçea bed and Costa-Ricm rights and interests in the
sertwater adjoining the coasts of Costa Rica. This deme replaced
Decree No. 116 of 27th Jnly, 7948,whch was the subject of.my note
No. 6 of 28th January, rgqg, iindof Yùur Excellency's reply dated
qth January, 1949.
2. Article 4 of Decrëe No. 803 af5th Novernber, 1949, repeats the
claim of Costa Rica to "protccticin'\overa11the seas within 200 sea
miles of the coaçfsof Costa Rica, both continental and insular,whicli
was lometly set forth inArtide 4 of Decree No. 116of 27thJuly,
1945, Hk Majestyk Government's objections to thisdalm rernain set
out inparagraphs5, 6 and 7 ofmy note No. 6 of 28th Jan-, 1949,
and their wiPlingnesç to negotiatc with the Costa-Rican Government
andothes interested governrnentsabout the protection of fisherieand
the conservation of naturd resomces in the high scas rernains as set
out in paragraph 7of tht note.
3. It is the mderstanding of His Majesty's Government that the
provisionsofArticles 2 ancl5 ofDecree No, 603 esmm that the rights
md intewsts of United Kingdom national5 inthe high seas urill nat
be affectedby the dccree or.by my measuretaken by the C0~t3;Rica.n
Government under it except as may be agreed wit11-His Majestyk.596 AUTRES DOCUMENTS
Government,-and His Majesty'ç Government would be glad to reeeive
a con£imation of this understanding.
4- Ris &lajeçtyl çovernment invite tbe Costa-Rlcan Goverment
to state up to what distance from the continentalmd hsular shores
of Costa Rica, or up towhat depth Ihe, national sovereigntyover the
sea bed is çlaimed in ArticleI of Decree No. 803. Intliis connection
His Majaty's Governmen t wouId refer the Costa-Rican Government
tn paragraaphh3 and 4 of rny note Na. 6 of 28th January, 1949, where
their understanding of internatiorrallestablished premden t on these
matters is setout.
AppendixNo. IX
Artide 7 of the Politid Constitutionof El Salvador
deliveredby the Grivernment of theUnitedKingdom to
of El Salvadorproteçtingagainst that article
The territory ofthe Republic,within itsexistjngfrontierc;isimduc-
ible:it includestlie adjacençeas to a distance ohvo hundred nautical
miles from low-water mark and comprises the wrrespondinp aerial
space, çubsoit andcontinental shelf.
The provisions of thé preceding paragrapd ho net affectfreedom of
navigation in confomity tvith the acceptedprbciples of international
law.
The Gulf of Fonseca iç an historical bay whichisstibjectto spial
rules.
NOTE, UAT~ 12th FEERUAIIY, 1950 ,HOM TKE GOVERNMENT OF THE
UNITED KINGDOM TO THE GOVERNMENT OF ET,SALVADOR
It fiascorne to the attention of Bis Majesty G'svmnnlent in the
United Kingdom tfiaArticle .7of tlrcnew Political Constitution for
El Salvador, rvhich has been approved by the Constituent As5embly
and prornulgatb cydthe Execultive Power, includes the folowing
terms :
(i) That the territory ofthe Republic hclu&s the adjacent sias
to a distance of zpo nautical miles fsom lmv-watermark ancl.
comprises the correspoiidingaerialsp~ce, subsoiland continentaP
shdf,
(ïi) Thatthe pmvisions of the preccdiGgparagraph CIO nnotaffect
freedom of navigation in conformitywith the acceptedprinciplcs
of internation lal .
2. His Majesty's Governrnent in th United Kingdom aredisquieted
by the implicationsof the abve daims, since it would appear from
the firsitem quotcdin the preceding paragrapli that iis theintention
of the Salmdorezn Government to&end its sovereipty aver the
continentalshelf;\vithoutrcgardto the depth of the sea, tliedistance
of 200 riauticalmiles fmm the Salvadorean coast.On the other hand
the Mmican declarationof 9th October, 1943d ,efined the continental AUTRES DOCVmNn
Appmdix No. 12
Statutoryinstruments
The FalklandIslands(ContinentalSheEi)Order In Comd, 1.950
At the Çmrt atBuckinghamFalace, thezrst dayof December, 1950
,. Present :
The KingJsMostExcellent Majesty inCouncil
Whezeas it is desirable to extend the bounclariesof the coloriyof
the Fdkland Islandsso as to inclutiethe continental shelf contiguous
to the coasts ofthe mlony :
New, therefore, His Mxjesty, in pnrçuance of the powem conferred
npon Him by the Colonial Boundaries Act, 1895 l, and of al1 other
pohvers enabhg Him in tliat behalf,.is pleased, ririwitli tli&vice
of His Privy Conncil, toorder, andit is hereby odered, as follotvs:
3. mis order may be citcd as the Fdkland 1i;lmds [Continental
Shelf) Order iiCcruncil,rgp.
2. The houndaries of the colony of the Fdkiand Islarids arehereby
extended tu Indude the ara of thecontinental shelfbeing the sea bed
and its subsoil contiguous tcithe coastsof the FaEklariciIslands. The
boundary of such area$hall befrom a position on tliezoefathorn litie
110 mutical miles 023 degrees truc from Jason West Cay (thewestern-
most of the Jason Islands, latitude 50degre58minutes sautli,longitude
~ÏTdcgrees 27 minutes west approximately), following the xoo-fathoni
lineas slxo\von aclrniraltchartNo, 2202 U round the northern, easkrn,
southern mrl western sides of the Falkland Islands to a position zo
siauticalmiles 278 dqtees true froin Jason West Gay, thesice by a
stmight lin? crossing in its n~~rowestpa~t the are& where the depths
are less thanroo frttlzomsina 032 degree truedirectionfor 115nautical
rnilesto the starting point,
3- Nothing in this ordcr shall be deemed to affectthe cha~acter as
high seas of any waters above the continental shelf and outside the
limits of territoriwaters.
(Signtd) E. C. E. LEADBITTER. OTEER DOCUMENTS
A$+md$x No.13
Wotcs deliveredby the Govenunent of the United States of ~rrieica
ta othcr governments
This Appendix, comprisesthe folilo~vinotes:
{ciNote to the Go~mmnentof Çhilé, dated 2nd Jdy, ~948.
{b) Fote to the Gomment af El Salvador, dated 12th Decm:
bf3,Tg50.
(c)Note tothe Governrnentof Satidi Arabia, dated xgth Decem-
ber,1949-
(4 Note to the Goverriment ofthe!Argentine,dated 2ndJdy, 1948.
(fiNote to the Governmentof %ru, dated 2nd Juty,r945,
(fSNote Eo the Governrnent of Xgypt, dated4th June, -rggf,
kg) Note to the Government ofEcuador, dated .;rtJune,xggr,
O€ the abovenotes,(4 haçbeen publishedinVolume44oftheAwevica*
Jowmal ofI&tr-ri.afio*Law at page 674; 0 ha5 been published as
Department of State press releasNo. 1256, ofzznd Decemlsccr,rg5o;
nation& kLawatpagehe675. Volume 44 of the A~îzeuicaJozcrnat ofIn&-
The remaining notes. some ofwhich have alr&dy beenmade to the
public unofficiallhave hm cornmunicatd by the Government of the
United States of Amenca at the rquest of the Guvernment of the
Unitcd Kingdom, and the Goverment of thplUnited Statesliasstated
tliat it has nobjection totl~eirbeing filas official documentintire
case now before theCourt.
(4 NOTE, DATED md jury, 1948 ,R~M THE G~~R~ENT. OF TEE UNITED
STATES OF AMEBlCATO Lm. COVERWEMT OF LAILE
1have the honor to=fer to the Decreeksud by the Presidentof the
Republicof Chileon25th June, I 47,concerningthe conservation of the
reçnurces of the continentalshe9fand the epicmtinental seas md to
advise that Ihave been uistnicted bymg Govemrnent to make certain
rese~vatianstvithrespecttathe rightsandinterestsof theUnited States
oi Amenca.
The United StatesGovernent bas arefuily stuùied thk déclaration
of the Prcsidentof theRepnblicof Chile.The'declaratiuncitw the pro-
clamations O£theUnited Statesof28th September,1945 in the preamble.
My Govemmen t isaccordinglyconfident tal RisExcellency, the Presi-
dent ofthe Republiçof Chile, inissuinthe cieclaratiowas açtuated by
the same Jmg-range mntideratiens with respecttuthe miseconservation
and utilizatian of natuml resmrceas rncrtivated PresidmtTruman in
prciclaimingthe policy of the United States relativeto the natural
resource.ofthe snbsoil md sea bedof theconthenta1 shelfandits policy
relativeto coastalfisheriesin certain arofstlie liiseas.The United StatesGovemment,awafeof thcinadeqiiacyaf st arrangemestsfor
the effectivconservatian and perpett~ationofsuc Km ources, views with
ubos tsympathy the considerations which led the ChîleartGovemment
'toiçsue itsdeclaration.
At the same the, the United States Governent note2 that theprin-
ciples underlying theChilean declaration mer in large measure from
those ofthe United StatesprocIamatiùns hd appear t-be at variance
with tlre generallyacceptecl prjnciples of internationallaw. In these
respects,the United States Gavernment notes in partimlar that (1) the
Chilean declarationconhs and prodaims thenational soYereignty of
Chileover the continentalshelf and over the seasadjacent to the çoast
of Chile outside the generallyacceptedlimits ofteritonal waters, and
(2)the declaration fails, withrespectko fishing, to accord appmpriate
and aclequaterecognition tothe rightsand interest osthe United States
inthe high ses offthe coastof Clide,h view of thesconsiderations,the
United States Governkent wisheç tcindicate tathe Chitean Government
that it reserve the rights and interestsof the United States ss Ear as
concerns any efleçts ofthe declarationof 25th Junc, x947, or of any
measurm designecito carry that declarafiun intoexecution.
The reservations lhus madeby the United StatesGovernment arenot
intend4 to have relationto or to prejudge any Chilean çlaims with
referenceto the Antarctic continent orother landareas.
The Government of the United States of herica issimiladyreçerving
itçrightçandiriterestswithrespect to decreesissuedby the Govermentc;
ofkgentina and Pen which purpor tto extend their sovereipty beyond
the gmerally accepted limits ofterritorialdomain.
1 take,etc.
(b)NOTE, DATED 12tb DECEhLBER, T950 ,ROM Tm GDVERNMEFPIT 03:THE
EiNlfRD STATES 01;AMERICA T0 THE GOVERNltIHNT OF ELSALVADOR
Excellent y,
Yhave the honw, pursuan tto the directionofmy Government,to refer '
tothe Constitution of El Salvador orgywhichinits Article7 setsforth
that the teriitoryof:El Salvadorcompreliends the adjacent seasfor the
distance of zoo marinemiles, alculated from the lowst tide line,and
inchdes the airoverhead, the snbsoil and thecorrqonding continental
shelf.
I am directed to hfom Your Excellency that theGovernent of lthe
United States of kmerica'has noted with deep ctlncernthe implications
ofthis provisionof theConstitution.Under long-establiçhedprinciplesof
internationa1law, itisuniverdy agreedthat the territorial sovereignty
ofa coastalState extendsover a nasmwbelt ofterritorial watersbeyond
which liethe high seas.The provisions ofArticle7 would, if cmied into
execution, king within the exclusive jurisdiction and control of El
Salt-adotwide ocem area whicli have tiithertbeen considered high seas
by al1nations. Itwould in these extensivewaters and inthe air spaces
ahove supplantthe hee and untramrneiled navigation ai foseignvesselç
and aircraftbysrichcoritrolsas El Salvador, inthe exerciseofthe sover-
eignty clairneclmight apply. This istrue despitethe disclaimec of the
second paragraph of Article 7, since,consequent uponthe asçertion of sovereigty ,freedom ofnavigationin theseareasrnightbe claimed tcibe
aprivilegegranted by El Salvadorrather thm based on a nght deriving
from internationalaw.
The United Statesof Ammicahas,in cornon with thegreat majority
ofather rnarjhm~ nations, long adhereto the principlthat the belfof
tenitori waatersextendsthree marine miles from thcoasts.My Govern-
ment desirestoinform the Governrnentof El Salvador,accordingly,that
it wiI1not clinsider its nationah or vesçds or aircraft assubjectto
theprovisionsof Artrcie7 or to any meassuresdesignedto cary rtinto
execution.
Please accept,etc.
(C NüTE, DATED ~9th DECEMBER, 1949 FROM THE GOVKRNmENT OF T'R15
IïNITf,X, STATEOFAMERICA TO THE GOVERNMENT OF SAVDI ARARIA
1 have the honox, acting utider instxtictioniiof my Government,to
, hfm Your Exwllericyas follows:
"'TheUnited Stateshas taken note of Decree No. 6/4/5/37rr
isçuedby the Kingdom ofSaadi Adia on28th May, 1949 ,oncern-
ing theterrtarialwaters ofSaudiArabia,and findsitseif compelled
to takeexception tocertai pnovisionstlisreof,cleemjngsuchprovi-
sions to bunsupportai by accepteciprinciplesof internationallaw,
and torescrveal1its riglzandtlie rightofitsriationalwitlrespect
thweto, namely :
dum includeviwaters outsideccof parts,barbors,tbays and other
in2.oAllprovisionstathe effect that thecoastal sea,i.e. the marginal
sea,of the-Kingdo mxtends sealvard ofa belt ofthree nautical
nila ahng its coaçtor around itsishds."
I avd, etc,
fdlNOTF, DhTED 2ndJULY, 1948, FR051T'EEGOVERhWENT OF THE UNITED
STATES OF A1KERIL4.20 THE GCJVERWENT OF THE ARGENTINE
Excellency,
Atthe âkection ofmy Governent 1 havethe hanor to statethat the
United StatesGoversirnent ha careful tuydiedthe dedaration of the
Presiderio:f the Argentine Nation af 11th October, 1946, concemirtg
the iridustrialuti1iktion ofthe resourcesof continental sheland the
cwtal seai;,.togethewîth DecreeNo. x386 of 24th Janrray,7944,w11ich
thedeclaratianamplifies.The deçlaration cites the proclamations of tlie
United Statesof28th September,195,in the p~eamble.MyGoverriment
is accordingly confident that His Excellmcy, the President of the
ArgentineNation, informulating the declaration,was actuated bythe
same Iong-rangcconsiderationws ithrespecto thewise conservation an&utilizationafnatural resources açmativated Président Tmlnan in pro-
çlairningthe policyofthe United States relativto the naturalresources
of thesubsoiland seabed ofthe contiqental shelf anditspcilicyrelative
to coastalfisheries incertainareasof the high seas.The United Stateç
Gcivement, aware of the inadequacy of past arrangements for the
effective conservation and utilization of suclreçourçes, views witb
çyrnpathy the considerationswhick led the Argentine Governent to
fornulate its declaratian.
At the sametime, the United States Governmen tnotes thatthe fin-
ciplesunderlyhg the Argentine dedaration differ in large measur!rom
those ofthe United Statesproclamations and appear to be at .t.\laxiarice
with the generallyaccepted principles of internatitional PawIn these
respects, the United States Govemrnentnotes in particula~that (1 t1e
Argentine declaration dccrw national sovereipty over the continental
shelf and over theseas adjacent to the wasts of A~gentinaoutside the
gencrally accepted Limit ofsterritoriawaters, and (2)the declaration
fails,with respect to fishing,to accord recognition to the riglits and
inttmsts of theUnited Statesin thehigh se= offthe coastsof Argentins,
In view ofthese considerations,theUiiitedStates Govemment wisheç to
infom the Argentine Gavernment that itresemes the rights and intere5t-l.s
of the 'UnitedStatessa far asconcems any effects of the dedaration of
11th Octobcr,rg46 orofanymeasures deshed to carrythat declaration
hto execution. . .
Theresertrations thusmade by the United 'StatesGovernmentarenot
intended to have relationto or to prejudge any Argentine daims \vith
referenceto the Antascfic continent orotlleland arcas.
1 may stateforYour Excellency's information tlmt the United States
Government is sirnilarly reseri7these nghts and interests rvirespect
to decrees of thGovcrnrnmts ofChileand Pem rvhchpurport toextend
suAcce~t,tExcçllençy, etc.enerd acceptedlimits ol territoiwaters.
le)NOTE, DATED 2nd JWLY, ~948, FIPOMTHE GOVERNMENT OFTEE UNITED
STATESOF AMERTCA TO THE GOVERWEFC OF PERU
1havethe honur to sldvise purExcellency that the Government of
the United States of Arnericaha rarefully strxdied the Decree of the
President of the Rt.puMic issued on 1stAugust, 1947 ,oncerning tl~c
conservation of the resources of 'thcontinental shelf and the coastal
ses, The c2ecrecitestheproclamations ofthe United Statesof 28th Sep- -
tembes, 1945 ,nthe preamble. My Governmmtis accordingly confident
that HisExcellency,the President of tlie PeruviarlRepubIic, in issuing
the decree, waç actaate dy the same long-range Considerations with
respect tothe wist conservation and utilizatian ofnaturalresources as
rnotivated President Truman in prodaimkg the policy of the United
Statesrelative tothe naturd ressourcesof thesuhil and sea bed of the
continental shelf and itspallcy relativetcr coastalfisheries icertain
areas of the high seas. The United States Govemmelit, mare of the
inadequacy of past arrangements foreffffecteonservation andperpetua- OTHER DOCUMENTS 603
tionofsnch rcsousces,views &th the utmost sympghy theconsiderations
which led the Pemvian Government to issuejts decree.
At the S ~ Cthe, tlie UnitedStates Gotrernment notes thatthe prin-
Ciplesunderlyingthe Peruvian deuee differin largerneasuresfrom those .
'ofthe United States roclamxtions and appexr to Ineatvariance wlth
the generally acceptf principlesof internationaIaw. In theçerespects,
the United States Govemmentnotes iirpartimlar that (1)fhe Peruvian
,decreedeclares nationalçovereign over the continenta1shclfand over
the seas adjacent to the coast of Peruoutside the generallyaccepted
lirniof territoriawaters,and (2)the decree failwith respectto fishing,
.toaccord recognitionto therîghts and ifierests of the United States in
tliehigh seasoffthe toasts ofPeru-In view ofthesectsnsiderations,the
United StatesGovernmentwishes toinfom thePeruviaiz Government
that it reserves the rights and interests the United Statesso far as
concerns any effectof theDecrw of ~stAupt ,1947,or ofany measures
designed to carrythat decree into mecution.
The Governnient of the United States içsirnilarlyreservingrightand
interests with respect to the decrees issued by the Govemments of
Argentina and Cl-iilewhich purpart toextend sovereignty beyond grne-
rally accepted lines of territorwaters.
1 avail,etc,
Tl~eEmbassy ofthe United Stateçnf America presents its compliments
to the Royalhljnistry of ForeignAffai sndlrasthe honor tostate that
the Unitod States ha taken note ofthe Royal Decree publisliedintlie
Arnbjc edition of the Jamd Opciai No. 6 of 18th Janusry, 1951,
regarding theterritoriawaters ofthe Kingdom of Egypt, and finds itsclf
cornpelledto take exception to certain prcivisirins tliedeeming sucli
provisionsto be unçupported by accepted principles ointernational law,
tliereto, namely;1its rights and the rightltsof its nationals witli. respect
I. All provisionswhich purport to extend tlieinland. rvatem,ofthe
Xhgclorn sawartrdfrom the waters of ports atrdharbors and suchbays
and other cnclosedams ofthe seaas arerecognized as inlandwaters hy
international taw.
z. AU provisionswhich purport taextend the marginal seaof the
Kingdom beyond threenauticrilmilcsfrom the cost and islandsand the
inland waters asdescribed ahm.
TheEmbassyof the United States of herics amils itselfetc.
e (g) NOTE,DATm 7thJurrs, 1931,FK~M TEE GOVEEEWME~ OFTHE UNTTED
STATES OF AMERXCA TO TFLEGOVERNMENT OF ECUAIMR
ExçeUency ,
I have the Iianor,atthe direbion af my Govemment, tarefer tothe
lawregarding territonal watersand thecontinenta1 shelfpromulgated by &4 AUTRES DOCUMENTS
theGovernent of Ecuador andpublishedin RegistreO&ial No. 756 of
6th March, 1951-
I amdirected toinform~our~xce~enc~ that theUnited States Govern-
ment has notecltvith conçernthe proviGons of th& law which purport ta
extend the sovereigrityofEcuarËorover abelt ofcontigu~usocesrl waters
twelve nanticd miles in breadth and which wauld establish rules of
base-line rneasurement atvariance .with accepte pdrinçiples of inter-
national law. It has also ben noted that Col611Archpelago is to be
regardedinthe sense of a continuciusland mass for territonal waters
purposes,with the marginal belt enveloping thewhole ofthe archipelago
irrespectiveof the wates distances separating the component isiands-
My Governrnent also regardswith coriçernthe provision of Article r of
this law which iypliesan unlimited degrec of protection and cootrol by
Ecuador over fish Tesourcesof the water areas corrcsponding to the
continental slielfaç definedin Articlez,
Underbng-established princlplesof international law, it is generally
agreedthat the sovereignty of acmstal State extends over a narrow belt
of territorial waters hejrowhich lie the highseas.Tk provisiorzsof this
Jaw would, ifcarried intOexecution,extendthatbelt seawardand bnng
mbeu the exclusive juridiction and çsntrol of Ecuador m ocean arca
heretoforesegardecl ashi h seas.The enforcement tifthisIaw in the area
ofextension would, therfore,be inderogation af the nght ofotherStates
to freedom of navigation uponthe hi@ seas.
The United States has,in cornmon with the paf rnajorihyof other
maritimenations, long adlieredtothe prjnciplethat thebelt ofterritorial
waters extends th-reemarine milesfrom the coasts.This principle, when
- appliedto insular possessions,contemplatesa separate belt ofterritorrial
waters for ~ach island, excépting where the water Mance separating
islands isIes han sixmarine miles,noth thepurpmted establishment of
abelt of Emadoran territoriawaters twelve nautical miles inbreadth,
and the assertion of a claïto a singlebelt of territorial wateraround
the entire Coliin Archipelacg antravene this principleof hternati6nal
law. Moresvcr, inspecifying the method of detemiriing base-lines,
Article 3of the larvin questiondoesnot appear to bein accordancewith
the principleof international law thatitgeneral, sucha base-line follows
the sinuositis ofthe coast at the point of lom-water mark. Witti regard
to the implication in Article I that the Government of Eçuadormay
continental slielfitis thetview of my Government thatorrethe areatover
whicIi a coastal Sfate may, as a rnattw of right, exercise excluçive
5~isheriajuridiction Is cocxtensive with the belt of territoriawaters.
With the foregoingconsideratiolisin min& the Government of the
United States desires to inforrn the Government of Ecuador that it
rescrves al1its interestsrind the interests ofits nationah and vewlç
under the pravisians inquestion ofth& law, and nnder any measlires
designed to çq tliem into execution,
Pleaseaccept, etc. APp~id$x No.x4
Note, dated7thApril,qgr, from theGovernent of theFrench Republic-
to theGovernmentof the UnitedKingdm givingthe observationsof the
French Governmentwith regardto thèclaims .ofvariousLatin-American
Statesto extendtheirterritoriwaters . .
Le ministère des Maires ktsangeres présente sescompliments A
l'am'fiasç~ddc Grande-Bretagne eta l'honneurd'accuserréception de
sa lettreNo, 62en date du zx févrie1g5r par laquelle elItrexprimé
ledhsirdc connaltrelapositiondu Gcruvernernept françaisl'égarddes
~evenditationç de certainspays d'Amériquelatintendant iétendreles
limitesdcleurseaux territoriales-
Le Gouvernement français n'a jamais reçupar lavoiediplomatique,
notificatiodes résolutionsou propositionsadoptkes,de 1945A qjo,
par le Mexique,le Chille FQou, Costa-Ricaet lc Salvadorayant Four-
effet de changelà limite dIeilrs eauterritoriales. Ildonc pas eu,
dans cesCS ~xkcisDfomuler unAvis.
Ilestime cependantsurunplangén&ta qluedetelles revendicationer
sont pas rmvable-: car ellelui paraissent encontradictionavecun
principede droiinternational quinjamais,jusqu'9ptkent,6thcontest&.
Les revendications contcniieçdanles décretspris par les painte-
resk excèden saasaacun doute l%étendue,rn~x d6renausterritoriales
admises en droit hternational,m4me en tenant compte du fait que
cette ktmcfueest assortiparfoisd'une nzone contiguën dans laquelle
1'Etat adjacent peutexercer certainsdroitsspkciaux (shreté,police,
donanes).Aucim Etat ne peut , arune déclarat undatémle, &tendre ,
sasouverainetésur lahaute mer etrendrecetteannexion opposable aux
pays qui ontle droit d'invoquerlprincipe[le lliberté des merstant
que cesderniersnel'auront pas fwrmellement acceptUne renoiiciation
des nationsnepeuttpastsepresumer.bliedansl'inthet de la communauté
Telle pourrait êtIn positionque leGouvernement françaissoutien-
drait sl un quelconque pays lui notifiait afficiellementrésolution
d'étendrela limitede ses eaux temitorides. Cette positioii'a aucun
caractere: confidentiel puisqnestfondéesurdes principes universelle-'
ment reconnus dc droit international.
Le rninistéredes Affair&trange~.rsisit,etc,
2, THREE DTAÇMMS SITOWING THE USE OF Tm ARCS
OF CIRGLES METHOD FOR DRAWING ERRITOMAL
LIMXTS ON TECECHARTDEPOSTTEDDURING THE KlWR-
ING OF SEPTL'EMBER z6th, 3951, BU COMMANDER R. H.
XEHNEDY, O.E.E., RN. (RETXRED),EXPERT ADVTSERTO
THE AGENT OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE
UNITED XINGDORl AUTRES DOCUMENTS
3, NOTE DAZlEDOCTOBER 3rd,1951F ,ROM THE MINTSTRY
FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE NETHERLANDS 2"0 TEE
BRITISH EMBASSY AT THE HAGUE,WITH AN EKCWSED
MEMORA?!TDUM .
(ANNEX T0 LBTTER OF OCTOIZER 4th,1951,FR031THE AGENT OF TEE
GOVERNnlENT Of:TI= UNITED lir3GDOM TQ THE REGTSTRAR, SEE
FART IV,CORRESPONDEYCE)
. ~
Rlinixt frrForeign Affairs.
Euopean Department.
No, 95924.
TkieMinistry of Foreign Afiairprescritsits compliments to the
British Embassy and has the honour to infnrm the Embassy,
referrhg tothe latter's note datIdrAugust, rggY,that theNether-
lands Governrnent having studled'the IceIairdicregulaiionsconcem-
, Ing the conservation of fisheriof he north coast of Iceland have
cornetçithe conclusionthatthese mesures colitravenethe principles
ofinternationalla~vwhichdoesnotpermit aSEate to takeunilateral
action prohibithg or regdating the fishing of foreign vessdsin a
certain area of thhigh seas.
The XcelandicGovemment bas bcen informed through the inter-
rnediary of the Neiherhnds Ambassadot in London of the opinion
ofthe Netberlands Governmeizt in the matter.
A copy ofthe Memorandum dich has been psesented to the
IceIandic diplornatic riepreçentative in Londoii, wha is aaccre-
diteclto Her Majesty the Queen, is enclos& heremith.
,The Hague, October 3, q5r.
To the BritishEmbassy,
TheHague.
Aidememoire
The Nethcrlands Govament have heen advised thatthe Icelandic
Government.have pramnlgated on the zziid of Apd, 1950, certain
rcmlations conctrni-gthe conservation of fisheroff the northcoast
ofY1celand.
Accordingtothae zegulations orily Icelandic .ci&ensmay hmce-
fort11fish foherring ina certain araof the highseas and only Ice-
Iandic vesscIs may be useàidthiçarea,The NetlierlztnGovernrnent
are of opinion that internationlaw does not zdow rtStateto take
anilaterallmeasurk5 prohibiltingor regulating the fishofgforeign
vwsels in a certai area of the highseas.Such replations can only
referto the territorial wateof theState,The area envisageclinthe O ~ R DOCU~NTS tiui
iiew regulatians erccedtheiirnits of the territoscalasrecognied
byinternationallaw,
As the Icelandic Gpvemment are aware, the Netberlands fishery
interests otticcoastof Icehnd arconsiderableThese interests would
sufferfrom the cornininto force othe reg~lationin questionwhicli
imply, by establishina four-milezone whiçh is rnoreover rneasured
from unilaterat1 y introduclong stsaight baselinean extension of
the arca inwhich a State may forbid the fishiby vessels under a
foForgntheseseasons the Netherlands Government wouid appreçiate
if the tcelandic Govmmmt would be willing to refrain from bringing
the new regulations fnteffect.
4. LETTER DATED OCTOBER rgth, 1951, FROM THE TCE-
MBIC MINISIXR IN LONDON TO TIFE AGENT OF THE
GOVERbWNT -OF TEUT UNITED KINGDOM, WITH AN
ENCLOSED LE'IYSERAND A MM
(ANNEXES +O LETTER OF OC?-OBER 2211d,1951 ,ROX rn~ ,4~1zNOF
THE GOVERNMEXT OF Tm OEiiTRD KINGDOM TO THE REGISTMW,
SEE P.UT TV,CORRESPONDEWCE)
17, Buckingham Gate,
London, S.W. r.
Seradiradfilands 19th October, xg5r.
Sir,
Onthe'gth October,rggr,the Registrarof the InternationaCaurt
of Jilstiçinforrned me as follows in connectirin ~6tthe fishmies
case hetween the Government of the United Kingdom of Great
Britainand Northern Ireland and theGovernment ofN orway :
J1
On tlie 4tOctober,,Iggr,the Agent of the United Kingdom
Guvernment filed withtha Rqistry copy of a, communication
from the Royal Netherlands Government to the Gsvernment of
Icel-d. As the Narweginn Agcnt does nat objectto the filhg
çopy ofothe communication,"smy chtytotransmitto you here~vitli
This communication from the Royal Netherlands Governmmt
was firsdeliverd to th Legation en the 9th October,.but itç
coiitents wereimrnediatelybrought to theattentionofthe Icelandic
Government. L have rrow, according to instructionsreceivedfrom
rny Çuvernment, sent a reply note to His ExcellencyFMonsieur
D. U. Stikker, Minister for ForeignAffairsof the Netlierlands, in
which the views ofthe Icelandic .Government in relatlan to the
fishenesjuridiction of Iceland aresetforth.
With reference to the fact that you have filed withthe Inter-
national Court th6 communication from the Royal Netherlands The Iceladic people have theiefore with great concern followed
the ever-increasindestruction of the toastal fishingrounds due to
avesftshingby trawlers from many nations. The Icelandicexperts 3ri
this field aconvhced that unles effective conçeriiaticin measures are
taken to protect the coastal g.roundsthe nation miil bcfaced with
heparable lossesand indeed witlzmin.
The Governent of Icelancdoes not slmrethe opinion ofthe Royal
Netherlands Governmen t concernirlg the rd* of internationallaw in
this field. It consithts thernlesof irzternationlaw donot prevmt
itftom tah<ng~ILRnmessxy protective measures within .areasonable
distancc from itscoasts inview of geographical,economic, biological
anThethGovernment of Icdmd does not agree vith the psopmitioii
advocated by somt Statw thata ccoastalState çaprcvent otherStates
from exploitingthe rcsoarcesof the sea bed and svbsoil of the çon-
tinental sl-ibut that itcannot prevent them frm dmtroying the
spawninggounds of the same sea bed.Accordingly,on April$11, 2948,
a law was passeclin Imland authorizing the Gcrveniment to take the
necessatrymeasures for the scientific çcinservationthe mntinen ta1
shelffisheriesOn the basisof thishw the regdations of April zznd,
1950 ,me iscluedwliereia {OUT-milezone isprescribed offthe nartli
toast of Icelandmeasu~ed in the manner whicli prevztilein Iceland
priortotl-iconclusionof theAnglo-Danish AgreementofrgoIpmviding
fora.three-mile fislrerilimit in Icelailcl. IYIien tngreernent was
concluded the Icelandic people werenat consulted. It lias nalv ben
terrriiniatcd by Icelancl.
The Government of Iceland cansiderthat it Hasncitonlytlie tight
but a150the responsibilitto takethc ncccssq measures in this field.
The coastalState, in itsopinion, has the primq rmponsibility in
protecting ts coastal 4ishinggrounds agair~st their destructionby
tra~vIe ~rso, afterh~rviq destroyecl one fishing ~amd, proceed to
- anotl~er,Furthemore, experience has shownthat international arrange-
men& mmot be reliedupon inths matter, althoiigt1ieya~e the only
availnble remedy as faas the real higlseasare concemed, i.c.in the
r~se ofIceland, inthe watei-beyond the continentalshelf.
1 have, etc.
(Si@&) Açln.4~KL. JOWSSOM.
Map showing the continental shelf surroundingTmland
5. LETTER DATED OCTOBEB 24tIï ~g~x, FROM TITEAGENT
OF TKE GOVERNMENT OF THE UXITED KINGDOMTO
THE REGZSTRAR
Sir,
The NormgianAgent, in his addtess tathe Court this afternoon,
rderring to the dispute on apoint of puregeograph whichexists
40 Report by Commander Kennedy
This report is mnfuied to m explmation of the rnanner in whZch
variousclassesof rocksare shown on the Nowegian charts, and of the
deductions to be drawn from tliese chartsregardmg tht rocks whiçh
form hses Nos, zr, 27 and 39 of the blue line and regarding certain
otherI+OC~~So which referer~cum madeby the NonvcginrlAgent at the
morning session ri25th October.
2,The Normegian ch~trts[bath the large scde charts I :50,000 and
the maller cl~arts I :200,000, wlïichmere fileda*lannexes) dktinguiçh
betweenthe followingthee classesofrocks :
(1) Ruch cswdsh,i,e,rocksof whichthe highest points area.. the level
of the sudace of the seaai lm ttide.
(23Dying rocks{low-tideeletfatjons), i,e, rocsportion of whiçh is
tatdIy exposed atlow mter and tirhich ;crecompletdy covered
over abhigh water.
(3) Abov.+waittcrwks, i.ethoçe lvhich are permanentlyabove mater
at al1statesof the tide,
The mannec in whick these three classesof rocks areshawn lin the
charts isas fofolio:
Rocksatvash aredistinguisheçlby the symbot 9.
Drying rocksby a wlid bhck dot,viz., 9.
Above-water rocks hy abrm lineenclosinganarea, viz., a,
(N.B. If the mainiand andlarge islands arestibpled, the above-water
rock rnBy dso hestippled but its size ir;ofscismall that the stippling
isbarely visibe or ornittcd,)
3.The Sewd of both sets ofcl~artcontainsthe fciDowing-infomation :
+ "ktegner Boe i Vmdflateiz" (a translatifiof whith is tliat+
indicates a rockat water lmel), and the followingsentence sppears in
the iegend :
"alle hydragrnfiskeAngivelscirrelcrerersig tilLavvand" (a trans
lationof which is"dl hydrograph iiformation isreferredtolm wnl~").
4. It appears fron~Annex 81 of the NarnregianRejoindcr,the defini-
üonunder 6 (Ir that the N~megian namc for arock arvash içslzuaJ$e-
shjm (boe, Me) (roche sous-marine dont les alpes affleurent à marée
basse), which is t-t-anslatinto Frencli asroche4 flmr d'eaw and into
English as "xoclrawmh", This dcfinitioni.ndiçatesthat a rock sho\m a5
a rockawsh oiiNomegian charts may even br:belnw the levcl of Iow
water, b~itis still considerto be a rock axvash solong as the seaweed '
on itfloatsat low water.
5. Though tbe~e içinthelegend on the charts nothhg to explain the
dii'ferencof marlring between drying roclm and above-svater rocks,an
examination of the charts shows cIcartrlthat thesetwo classes of roelrs
are rxstinguished by the symbuls indicated above and the cliistinçtionis furthermadeinthei mamir in which the riameofthe rock in uestion
is printed.Thus, the name ofan above-%vaterrack isgiven in t e sme
sortoftype as isthat usedforplacesonthe mainland or dler islands,
whereas the dryhg rocks Ere shown in a dilferenttype. This latter sort
of type aIs~isused for the rocksawash and for under-watcr features.
Thls method of using differentkindsof t e to dlstinguishabuve-water
feature fom those çubmergd at high ti ? e isa cornmm hydrographie
practiceand is alsrrsedby the United Icngdorn.
6, Whilethe symlols fordryingrocksand abve-water rocksare often
difficulto distiriguisbeçawe ofthe small size ofthe "dot", the use
of adifferenttype for tl~eirespectivenames avoids confusion,On the
other l-iandthere should igene.rabe na di%culty indistinguishingthe
symbol for arack awaçli irom thatused forrtdryingrocl:.
7-BassPoid No. 21 {Vestrfalict inG5san) is shown onNonvegian
cliart No.92 (scale I:50,000)and onMorwegianchart Na. 322 (scala
r :200,oûo whic11is chart Bo, 6 of hnex 75.h both these chtartsthfi
symbol~sed is+ whichlzwiicatesa rockmasla.
Sforfnl1in G,kan isshown onNorwegian chart No.92 [scaler: 50,000,
and on Noswegian chart No. 322 (scalf :zoo,om) asa solidblack dot
and Isnmed on both chsrts inupright type,thus indicating that this
rockis a clryinxock.Both the rictmeVesterf~lletand Storfallet arin
the same sort oftype, wbreas the name Storeg~imsl~ulmen(an nbove-
water isfe7,8 milisaway) isinslanting type.
8. I am vnawase ofthe existenceordnteoftbe"carte @ciale" mferred
ta by MF. Arntzen in his remarks on Storfallet[seep7 xz, thirdpara-
graph l,ofÇ.K. 51/30n ),r do 1know if this specicl~arthas beeri fded.
g. Base Paht No,27 I(Tokkeb3en)isshown onNonvegianchart No, Sj
(=de 1 :50,000) and on Howegian chart No. 321 (scals r :zoo,ooo)
rvhichis chartNo: 7of Annex75.Onboth thec chartsthe syrnbolused
is;+ indkating armk awash. .
ao, bas^Poid No. 39[Nordboen)issl-iownon Nowegian chart No. 72
(=aler : 50,000)and on Norwegian chart Ho.jrr (t;cde I:zoo,ooo)
which is chartNa. 5 of -Anne%75. On Chart No. 72 Nordboën is shown
as $ indicatingtwo rocks awashat low rvaterand close togetherand on
. Chart No. 3rr as+$ indicatinga,rock awash.
11. From the about-it wi1:e seen that,according tothe Korweqan
chark, base-points Nos. gr, 27and 3q are dlrocksawaslr atlow water
andthereforc shoulcinothe used asbase point$.This infoimation isnot
quoted by RTrA.mtzen yesterday.f theNorwegian HyctrographicService
12. BlrA.mtm furthw stxted(1) that base-points (Juboen and
z8 (Glimmen) areirrdicatcd onthe Norwegiancharts by the use ofthe
1Sce bottom ofp. qp in this volume. OTKER DOCUMENTS 615
rariiesymbol asthose used for base-points 21, 27 and 39 (Le. by the
symbal whjeh I say indicatm a rock awash), and (2) that tthsc two
points24 and 28 had heen used hy the Government ofthe 'UnitedKing-
dom as base-points in thegreen-lines(thepoint of thc observation being
that, if point24 and 28 W~TC, as 1 say,rocks awash, they shouldnot
have been used as base-points)My observationson this areasfollows :
13,PoZ~td Na, 24 ('Juboen)Because ofanobscurityin the printing on
Norwegian charts Nos.88 ancl89(scaler :50,om) atthisparticul potnt,
I havealwaysbem somewhat doubtfiil asto which symbolI~adbeen used
.forpoint No.24.When drawing the peckcçigeen line thisrockswasnsed
,asabase-pointbecause Ithought that thesymbolused here rms prubably
intended to bethat for a drying rock.Tliat thiç wasrnyview, isshotvn
by Aniiex r7 of tlreMemarial, on page 2or (Vol.I), whereJuboen is
sde~tribedas a drying rock, and by the Reply on page 704 (Vol. II),
wliere,givingthe descriptionof the pccked green line, thepointis aho
referred to asa drying rockand not as a rock awh. On receipt of the
Rejoinder, where on page 187(Vol, III)it isdescribed asa "'skhe",1
thought kat my reading of the syrnbolhd hecn confimed. Now, haw-
ever,that Mr. Arntzen lias stated thatitis cliartedas $ iridiçatîna
-rockawash,itmay be thatrnyprevious view ofthc symbol was mistaken,
and ifMr.Arntzen's riewreadingof the syrnbolis correct,tl~ebase-point
-for the peckegreen linesholild be movedfurther irishosta the nearest
adryingrock within 4 milesof anabovewatcr rock,
' ~4.The rmsonwhy the symbol arbase-point 24 isso dificulto read
isas ifellowsIt is çhown onlargescale Nnrwegian charts Nos.88and 8q
(scaleI T5o.000)as $.with nortbward ofita danger line enclosinthreb
,orfour black drrtç in tletype, sonthward of this+ isanother danger
line enclosina rock awxsh (%) and again thtee orfourheavy biact dots.
The Monvegian chart onthe next largest%ale No. 321 (No. 7 02Annex
75) shows the + and black dots northwarclof ifThe hlue circleofbase-
point 24 011 fiis chartiscent~td on ortO! th blcackdois mrdZtEWCWWZ-
j.mcacecatstla~+ und thersis no.rock awmh $ çkmdedth~e.
Inthe making of charts thegreateçt dangerISaiways included,Should
the black dots refertover-yshrillciwwaterand not .todrying rocks, the
rock awash skpdd have been inclndedon the smaller %aie chart tothe
exdosion 0.fthe dotsifspace did not permittheir inclaion,
15. Poid No. 28 the roclNNE of Glimmn) is shocvnonNonvegian
charts Nos, 81 an6 82 {scale r :jo,~~) and Norwegian 32x (sçaie
r :zoo,ooo) chart No. 7 of Annex 75, as + indicating a rock awash,
E. Artmen is. ha,wever, mistaken infhinkirig thathis paintis used as
a base-point in the green hé- Inhnnex 17ofthe 3Ierntirial1sgiven a
brjef descriptioo'fthe base-pointsof tli1935 decree line.On page 202
(Vol. 1) against No.28 appem the following : inthe column headed
"Name'* :"Dry skjzr north-north-east of Glimmen." This wus mcre!ya
!ibem&frn~slntio%from theRTrnmegim &CTE~. It isholuever, the column
headed "Description" which shows the view 1Itookof the nature of the
rocks and this çolumn reads : "Shownwi Plrome~ian charts Srand 82as
a rock awash, about 81 mila offAndenes, NwGt above-water rock js
Elesan about 1 mile soutliward,but it inot known if Glimmen,about
I cable horn the skjat, is an above-\vater or drying rock."
Ln the R~ply onpage. 707 (Vol.II),inthe analysisof the blueliilthe
reference \vasmade to "Point 18, the dry slcjzerort th-north-easof
Glimrnen". This again isnierely the litertraislationof thedecree, 16. Thisroch m~aaftFz-norb-fastlimmemmm molzssedf07fie fiechid
greenlise usta& byMY. Ar&m on25th 0ctohsbuia~ofherroch(which
1 thi~k Zsshom as a dryimogr asmz abme-w&er rock) sittmttabod
I cnbk soutlawavof it (aownomsd on Noreeiegiaclaa~tS. GlrisnwJen)l
mas tha 0% Ued. TItaffhis iswhd 1 dican be clea~smn fromcl&
No. 6of A~.itnx35 fothe Rq5ly artdfmnt thdesmi+tiowow#agc 708
(Vol.11) oftheReply.
17. My tonclusionfierefme is that, cmtraryto the statement of
3fr- Amtzen,no rock awaçh orrock indicatcdon the charts by the
symbol 9 has ben used asa base-pint furthepcked greenErie,the
base-puhts for mhichwcre selected fmm the Iargest-sN carecgian
charts and then txansferrtotheBritish charts.
SECTION B. - DOCUMENTS PRÉSENTÉS PAR
SECTION B.-DOCUMENTS SUBMITTED .BY
THE AGENT OF THE 'GOVERIVMENT
OF NORWAY
1, LETTRE EN DATE DU 14 OCTOBRE 1951 DE l'AGENT DU
GOUVERNERCIENT DE LA NORV~GE AU GlCt3;lFXER, AVEC
DEUX NOITS
Monsieur le Greffier,
Dans sa plaidoirie durz octobre, le professeuBowquin a dit
(voir le compterendu, p.323) :
a Nous avons mesur6 la superficcontestCedans la zone corn-
pestde 4-90km2.clzedgreeIineetlalimite du dCcretde1935.Elle
Et, pour permettre d'apprécierl'importance relative de cette
me, nous avons demandé à nos experts d'évaluerlasupwficie
totale des zonde chduiage les plusfréquentéesdel'Atlantique
Norcl etde l'oçianGlacial.
Us sont arri~-éan chiffre d1.127.000Innp.Je crois inutide
donner en ce moment ledétailde cette évduation,U sera,bien
entendu, ~ornmnniqu àtla Couret àlaPartieadverse.11
Me n!fkrant 5 ce qui précède,j'a l'honneur de VOUS remettre
ci-joint 1ntraduction wrtifiée confox'mede deux lettre, dathesrespectivement des 30 avrii et xg mai 1953, de Ma S. Scheen, de
l'Institut hydrographique de Norvkge, donnant les informations
dont il s'agit.
D'autre part, j'aifait remettreA l'Agent du Gouvernement du
Royaume-Uni, ce jonr sagrnec opie de la present lttre à vous.
adress6e ainsi que desannexes susrnentionn&es.
Veuiilez ap&r, etc.
($ig.nk)SVEN ARN~EN.
Note
[T~~d~ctim désw~ukgien]
OsIo, le 30 avn? 1952.
Cdrrrmhent à 1ademandede M. Sven Arntzen,avocat ItIa Cour
suprêmej,'ai,procklé au calculde la çnperficiedeseaux situéesentre
lalimite depkhe norvégiennede 1935 etla apecked greenlineiibritan-
nique de 1950 .a zone en questionsedetailleainsi pafenillde charte
analys& :
Carte maritime no 325
Annexe 75, no 3 ............ rgo hm2
Carte maritime no324
Amexe 75, no q . . , - . . , , , . . , 7h2 1)
Carte mafitirneno 323
+4nnexe 75, II'j .............. 480 N
CaAnnexe 75,menao63.............. 2.30~ n
Carte maritime no 321 "-
Annexe 75,no 7 .............. 677 Q
Carte maritime n" 311
hnnexe 73, no 8 . . , - . - + . , , , , , 926 1)
Carte maritime na 3ro
hne_~e 75, 11'9 ............... x.384 u
Total 6.920kmz
environ 6.900kmB
Vmdlez agréer, etc.
Pour traductionconforme :
(Signk) Svrr~ ~RN'~~N.618 AUTRES DOCUMEWE
Note
fTradudom du xowigkn]
Mariaiehohen (Bergen),le zg mai Igjr.
Ils'estavérétrès difficilde fixerexactement la véritableétendue
des zones dechalutageles plusfréquentées,maisenmettant enparall$.èle
.l'annexe 87, no3, à laDuplique, avec des renseignements fourr-tpar
le directeur RolleWn, Bergen, je suis parvenu aux conclusions sui-
vantes :
la zone dc lamer du Nord (avec le Skager~k etle
Kattegat) . . - - - . - . . , , , , env. 322.000 km2
les eauxdes îles FAtd . - . - . . . . . n ~2.000 ir
Islande (facessiid,ouest et nord) - . . , nI 1rg-ooo a
VSecteur de IYiedesOurs et dela cdte occidentale
du Spitzberg , . . . . . .. - . - . .
lamer de Bkrentz .- . . . . . , . . . .
le Groënland occidental . . . . . . , .
les bmcç de Terre-Neave . . . . . , , .
-
Comme j'ai précisélors de notre entretien dms le bureau de
M. Event;en,ces chiffrene sauraientêtreqqu'approximatits.Maissij'ai
bien compris,une tellestimation suffit auxbesoinsde XI. lprofesseur
BoVeuillezagri-eretc,
(Sigvz~S. SC~EEW.
Pour traduction conforme :
(Sa'gtzSVEN ARWTZEN.
2. LETTRE EN DATE DU 19OCTOBRErgSr DE L'AGENTDU
GOUTXRNEMENTDE LA NOR~GE AU GREFFIER. AVEC
LA TRADUCTION D'W TI?LI?GTIARrlME
Monsieur leGreffier,
J'ai l'honneur de vous transmettre ci-joint un télkgrammeen
.original, daté:du 19 octobre 1951 et adressé à. la délegation de
'hrorv&ge, Hôtel Wittebrug, pas le Service hyd1:ographique de
Nodge, ahsi que la traduction cert5Ee conforme en franqais de
'cet~16~me.
D'autre part, je voua informe que, par memecourrier, je remets
&M. l'Agentdu Gouvernement du Royaume-Uni copiedela présente
lettre atnsique des annexes.
Veuillezagrber,ett.
(Sig-~% SiSEE NPJTZEN. Traduction du t6légrammearlressh il [d414gatio.de Nmvège, Hotel
Wittebrug,La Raye, le 19octobrerggr
Pour Amizen Confirme avoir mvoy6 ce jour lettr euivante
affairedes pecherieslesminutes art ographiques dans lapossession
du Service hydrographique de Norvkge montrent I. que Storfallet
iGasan est une roche quinecorrvm pas à maréehaute (which does
not cuver ai high water) 2.que Vestesfallet i Gisanpoint de base
ne 21 Tokkebaen point de base no 27 et Nordboen point de base
no 39 sont tous les trois des rochesqui ne sont pas constamment
snbmergks (which are not conünmusly submerged). - Service
Izydrographique de Norvhge: RULFKJER,
Signature co~~firrni:e
G. LIE,téI&gaphiste,
Pour traductiun conforme:
SVEN ARNTZEN.
3. LETTRE EN DATE DU 22 OCTOBRE1951 DE LXGENT
DU GOUVEmERIENT DE LA NORVÈGE AU GREFFIER,
AVEC LA TRA~UCTION D'UNE NOTE
Monsieur le Grefier,
I
Aucorn de la seancepublique du rSoctobre 1951 e professeur
WaIdock a fait11ad6claration suivante (C.R. ~rlz6, pp.44-45 l):
A 77% possess inour officea complete set of Swedish charts
shoming Çwtden's neutral~ty lirnitdrnwn in accordance with
Professor Boilrqtrin's formula. These chartç ofecourse ofYicial
charts and are dated 1942. The <legend 1on these chats-that
isthe staternen of principIes upon which the lines are dmm-
Statesin Çwedish that the lineare dm at a distanceof three
nauticalmile*;from the outermwt pointsof the Swcdish coast. '
I nay say by way ofkxplanation that the tliree-mile lneasure
was used instead of Sweden'ç nomal four-mile mesure becanse
Sweden llke Nomay decidedto apply the smallermesure during
pointaisthat theneutrality limit on the charisdLa\vnfromcend
' to elidofilleSwedish coastnot upon any straighf linsstem but
mholly upon the principle afthe tide-markrule,and ?e arcsof
circleprocedure has ken used to apply therule,agab frm end
to end of theSwedish coast.The rsutermostislmds and rocks are
sjmply usta as the outemost peints of the Swedish coastfrom
cvhichitispmUssible todraw arcsof cin-clr, Rfer6férantA ce qui pr&c&de j,ai l%honaeurde vous transmettre
ci-joint lcopie et la tt-adnction certifiéconformesd'unenote que
M. Osten Unden, ministre des Affaires étrangtresde Sukde, a
adresseiele zo octobr e951 à l'ambassadeur de Nmvège à Stock-
holm.
J'envoie par meme courrier, A sisEric Beckett, copie de laprk-
sente lettreavec annexes.
Veuilleza.gr&r, etc.
. {Sigmy SVEN A~aiim~.
Lettreda ministre des Affairesétrangèreds eSuède l'ambassadeurde
Norvkge à Stockholm
[Tyadp~ctiom] Stockholm, Ie zo octobre 1931.
Monsieur l'Ambassadeur, ,
f3r ripnse aux questions que vous avez pas&, j'ai 1'harmeur de
vons fairecomar*trr a qui swt :
An début de la deuxihe guerre monclide, la SuEdemaintenait,
enconformit6 avecles dispositions envigueur,une limitede neutralit6
tiréeà 1, distancede 4 milles marins i partir de lignes de base tracées le
long de la cote. Mme il s'avéraimpossible, au cours de l'automne
2939, de f~lirerespectercettebite par lesbelligkants, les autorités-
suédoisesprirent la décisionde defendre, dans la pratiqula neutralité
en de@ d'une limitede 3 milles marins seulement. Ladite limitede
3 millesne fut pastiréeàpartirde lignes de base, maissuivailessinuo-
sites de la cote. Onconsidirait que cemode dc calcirlmotivépar le
désir d'kvitedes discussionsavec les belligérantsau sujede ladéter-
mination des lignes de base, n'éveillait pas ddoute quant aux prin-
cipes,vu que la limite de 3millesdans tous lescas, neconstituait pas
Jamilles,par consLquent,ne porte pasoilemoindreraprejtidicaux prin-
cipes 14gissmt le calcul dcette limite prénnrnméeqrrl, dansune skie
de décisions parmi1esquelIesladernihe. en date, le décret royaldu
g fkier 1945 portant certaines prescriptionspour lnnavigation dans
leseaux territoriales suédoisestfixée ladistance de 4 milla marins
a partir de lignesde base tirCesen traversde l'entrkedanses et baies,
et entre les iles situsur kacbte.
La carte qui, en 1942 ut dresséepourla gouvernedesnavigateurs
et conformémentk la dkision de maintenir la neutralit6 seulement en
de@ d'une limite de trois milles, ne constitue dpas de témoignage
concernant la question des, principesservant A Iadétemination de
la limite des PLUX territoriales snédoises.
'I'fi~ilagrger,etc.
'(Signé)OSTEW UrnnÉ~..
Documents submitted to the Court after the closure of the written proceedings (Rules of Court, 1946, Article 48)