Archipelagoes and archipelagic sea lanes passage

43 Pages·2001·1.04 MB·English

CHAPTER 5
ARCHIPELAGOES AND ARCHIPELAGIC SEA LANES PASSAGE
Iatroductloa
An archipelagicn ation is one whosen ational territory includesn ot
only islandsb ut also the marine waters betweent he islands.T he 1982
Law of the SeaC onventiosnp ecifiesth at archipelaginca tionsm ustc on-
sist solely of islandso r parts of islands and that the ratio of water
to land included within archipelagic baselinesm ust be between 9:I and
I:I. This archipelagic regime is now codified in Part IV of the Conven-
tion, In returnf or givingt he marititnen ationsa right of passage
through defined sea lanes, archipelagics tatesa chieved recognition of
theirs overeignotyv era broada ndc arefullyd efineda rea.T hisr ecogni-
tion is more than mere lip-service to local control,b ecauseth e regicne
enablest he archipelagics tate to enl'orcee nvironmentala nd economic
proscriptionse,n hances ecurity, controla nd preserver esourcesp, re-
scribes ea lanesa nd traffic separatiosnc hemesa,n d promotep olitical
unity. The l982 Conventioans signsto the archipelaginc ationsth e
responsibilityf or designatings ea lanes in coordination with the "corn-
petent international organization,"w hich is assumedt o be the Interna-
tionaMl aritimeO rganizati oIMn O!, Designatioofn a rchipelagsieca
lanesi s a potentiallpyo tentd evicefo r regulatinnga vigation.
The first paperi n this chapter,A rchipelagiWc atersa nd Archipe-
lagicS etzL anesb y hlugrohWo isnumuortfi I ndonesipar,o videas t horough
analysiso f the evolution of the archipelagicc onceptw ith all its rami-
I'icationsb oth for sovereigntoyv er resourceasn d internationanl aviga-
tion, He discussessu btle yet importandt ifferencesi n the Convention
betweent he real meaningo F innocentp assaget,r ansit passagea, nd
archipelagic sea lanes passage.
IVIr.W isnumurctio nsidersth e archipelagrice gimea comprotmse
acceptabloen ly as part of a carefully balanced"p ackaged eal."A rchi-
pelagicse a lanesp assagies limitedt o "continuouesx,p editioupsa" s-
sageH. e notest hat the absenceo f the word" Freedomin" Article 53(cid:3)!
as comparedto Article3 8(cid:2)! furtherr emoveasr chipelagipca ssagfero m
thato f high seasp assagaen, dh e warnso f vulnerabilityr egardingth e
designationo f seal anes and a tug-of-war betweena broad versusn arro~
interpretationo f Article S3(cid:4)!.
Commentsfo llowing Mr. Wisnumurti'sp aperc oncernt he natureo t'
archipelagisce al anesp assagaen d the statuso f archipelagwica tersI,s
the archipelagirce gimec ustomaryin ternationalalw or newl aw? Are non-
signatoriebso und?W hata ctionsc an archipelagsitca testa ke against
vesseltsh at do not complyw ith littoral stater egulations?
Indonesiah as long advocatedth e archipelagicp rinciple and has
playeda n importanrot le in its legald evelopmenInt. hisp aper,S ome
AspectTs hat ShouldB e Considereind DesignatinIgn donesia'Ss ea Lane,
IndonesiaA'stj e MisbacMh uhjiddinb rieflyt racetsh e archipelagcioc n-
cept as it evolvedi n post-World-War-IIIn donesiaa nd the variousi nter-
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nationcaoln ventdioenasl iwngit hth ela wo f thes eaH. et hedni scusses
thec oncertnhsa tw ill affectth eirp laceinent.
AlthouIngdho nessieaal'as n ehsa vneo yt etb eefonr mapllyro -
claimiendi n,f ormdaisl cusstihoefno sll owilnagn ehsa vbee esnu ggested;
I. Selaa necso nnecttihnegS ouCthh inSae wa ithth eIn diaOn cean;
I. TheS outChh inSae rao utwei tht hee ntryp oinat tt hes eaar ound
MataIks lan-d S ingttpSortera -it MalaccSatr a-it theI ndian
Ocean;
2, TheS outChh inSae rao utwe ithth ee ntryp oinat tt hes eaa round
MataIskl an-d K arimSattara -i tS undSatr a-i tt heIn diaOnc ean.
3, ThSe ouCthh inSae rao utwe itthh ee ntrpyo inatt t hes eaar ound
MataIks lan-d K arimaStatr a(cid:20) iJt avSae a(cid:20) BalSi ea- Lombok
Strait(cid:20) the IndianO cean,
Seala nIe 2 w oulbded esignoante]ydfo ri nerchsahnitp ost hetrh an
supetarn kearnsd n uclear-poswheiprase,nd d th es eJaa nIe.3 w oublde
fora llt ypeosfs hipesx cesputp tearn kearnsdn uclesahri ps.
II. Seala necso nnecttinhgeP acifOicc eawni thth eI ndiaOnc ean:
TheP acifOicc eawnit hth ee ntrpy oinatr ounMdia nglassla nd-
SulawSeesa-i MakasSstarar -it FloreSse a- LombSotkr ait-
the Indian Ocean.
2. ThPe aciOficc ewanit hth ee ntrpyo inart outnhdeM iangIsalsa nd
- MaluSkue- a G reHy ounSdtr a-i tB andSae (cid:20) aF loreSse (cid:20) aO mb
Stra-i tS awSue a- theI ndiaOnc ea enx itp oinat rounSda wu
Island!;
3. TheP acifOicc eaenn, trpyo inMt iangIsalsa n-d H almahSeeraa-
MaluSkeu(cid:20) a G reyH ounSdtr a(cid:20) Bit andSae -a I ndiOanc e aenx it
poinatr ounYdo kIosl antdo t hee asotf T imoIsr land!;
4. TheP acifOicc eawni,t hth ee ntrpyo inatr ouSnady aIsnlga nd-
HalmahSeer(cid:20) aaS earaSren-a Arafutrhue nd ividinet ot wod irec-
tion sl! to thee astto TorreSstr aiat;n d(cid:2)! to thew estot
the Indian Ocean.
Thsee laa neIIs.2 3, an4d w oubledd esignfoatrae ldlt y peosfs hips
exceptf ishing vessels.
Thessee ala neasr ei llustraitneJ d.R h. 4orgaanndM ,JV. alencia
edsA.!t,l afosr M ariPneo liicnyS outhAesaisaStne a ls9 83in!a maf
attachedh eretoa sM ap 9.
CamilNluasr okopbai'sp eTrh eR egimofe A rchipelargrno/t ettse rtta-
tiottLaal wtr actehsed evelopomft heecn ot nctehprot uvgahr ioleugsa l
pronouncoefms cehnotastan rdjsu risHtse.d istinguaismhoentshg r ee
typeosf archipelamgiode-osc: ecaonas, taanl,d g eographinicsaullalyr .
Mid-ocaeracnh ipealargety opeisfi beydn atiosnusca hsI o donetshiea,
PhilippainnedFs ii,i ,w hicleo asatracl hipelaargetoh eossth ea ct onsist
of fringinisgl anaddsja cteonc ot ntinneanttiaolTn osM . r.N arokoabi,
citizoefnP apNuae wG uintehaet,h irtdy pge,e ograpihniscualallry
archipelaisgt oheems ,o simt portIann hti.s w ordtsh,i sg roucpo nsists
of" ap arot fo neo ra numobfel ar rgisel antdhsac t onstitthuete
mainlapnldu ass socisamteadlf lerirn giinsgla ntdhsa at re't iedt'o t he
mainlathnrdo utghheu soef s traigbhats eliTnhesisp.' a peexr amines
somsep ecniaalv igatipornoablle rmesla tintogP apuNae wG uinaesaa
consequoefnt hcaent atiogne'so grapahnydM, rX. arokoexbpi Jahionws
l96
PapuaN ew Guineam ay be exemptf rom archipelagics eal anesp assage
altogether.
A number of references to the 'competent international organiza-
tion" appeari n the Convention.T he InternationalM aritime Organization
IlvlO! is assumedto fill this role with referencet o navigation,o cean
pollution, and related matters.T he IMO is importantto the interna-
tional maritime community and to coastal states concerned with the
securitya nde nvironmento f their watersT, he paperb y ThomasS . Busha,
then the generalc ounselort o the IMO, entitled The Responsoef the
1nternationaI Maritime Organizar'ton to Ref ererrres in the l082 Canven ~mr
m the "Competent /nrernarronol Organization," provides valuable
insightsi nto IMO views of archipelagics ea lanes conceptsin addition
to many other maritimei ssues.M r. Busha'sp aper discusseisn detail the
IMO's role in adopting archipelagic sea lanes when such sea lanes appear
to meet the needs of both the archipelagic state and flag states,
Much uncertaintyr emainso n the balanceo f powera rticulatedi n the
Convention between maritime powers and archipelagic states. What Mr.
Wisnumurti finds an acceptable compromise,' Mr, Narokobi sees largely
as an "unacceptable give-away." The discussion following the papers
focuses on the process through which treaties are implemented and guide-
lines become law, Specifically, the respective roles and power oF the
IMO and of the coastal states in designating sea lanes are discussed.
Thomas Clingan descrbesth e IMO decision-making processa s "consulta-
tive" but says the IMO has virtual veto power; Edgar Gold characterizes
the IMO's role as that of a 'clearinghouse"w ith coastal states retain-
ing ultimate control over decision making; Nugroho Wisnumurtia sserts
that the archipelagic states in fact seem to be subject to a double
veto. In addition to designation of sea lanes in pardcular strait and
archipelagoes, air routes over archipelagic sea lanes and restrictions
on warships in archipelagic sea lanes are discussed.
l97
ARCIIIPELACICW ATERSA ND ARCIIIPELA IC SEA LANES
Nugfo}}o SS'}snurnurti
Director of Legal and Treaty Affairs
Indonesian Department of Foreign Affairs
1he significance and impact oF tht
}982 Convention on the Law of the Sea
the Convention! to the international
community are indeed beyond doubt. The
result of f'iftcen years of strenuous
negotiations, the Convention figures
prominently as a monumental achievemenl
of the world communityi n establishing
new world order of the oceans. As Tomm
Koh, the President of the Third UN Con
ference on the Law of the Sea put it,
"it represents the most ambitious efl'o
at the codification and progressive
development of international law under-
taken by the international community
since the creation of the United
hlations."~
Although some previously existing
rules are preserved or I'urther refined by the Convention, a significant
number of new legal regimes governing the uses of the sea are created.
One of the most innovativei s the regime of the archipelagics tate.T h<
inclusiono f an archipelagics tate regime in the Conventions ignifiesa
recognitionb y the internationalc ommunityo f the basic need to preserve
the unity of statesc omprisinga rchipelagoes.
The concept of archipelagic waters is the cardinal element ol' the
archipelagisct ater egimeb ecausiet ensuresth e unity of the archipe-
lagics tate,T his papere xaminetsh e evolutiono f the regimeo f archi-
pelagicw aters,t he legals tatuso f archipelagiwc aters,t he regimeo f
archipelagisce al anesp assagea,n d issuesp ertainingto the implemen-
tation of the regime.
TheE volutioonf theR egimoef ArchipelagWica ters
Bar!yA cademOicp inionasn dt hei lVora jf nternationBao dies
Ther egimeo f archipelagwica tersw, hichc onstituteas l egarle gime
sarg enerisw, asd evelopetod suit the particulagr eographica}
characteristoicf sa statec omposeodf archipelagooer sg roupso " «ch'
pelagoeasn dt o preservteh e unity of the archipelagsicta te.
conceporf ' unityc anb et racedb acka se arlya s l889w henth eQ uestion
of thed elimitatioonf t he territoriasle ao f archipelagwoeassr aised
in theH ambusergs s~iofn th ein stitudte D roiItn ternatiobnyt ahle
Vorwegijaunri stA irbertw,- hos uggesttheadta na rchipelasghoo ulhde
treated as one unit,"
l 98
Concrpertoep oosnat lhse d elimitoaftt ihoetne rritosreioaalf
archipeblaagsooeendus nictyo ncwepetlraset esru bmittotae ndd di s-
cusbseyvd a rioinutse rnabtioodnaiaenls idn ternaltaiowpn uabl licists,
bufto rm anyye anrsoa greemwaersne ta chTehdIen, ternatLioanwal
Associafotirion ns, tapnrcoep,o astei tds1 92m4e etiinnS gto ckthhoelm
EoHowingl anguage:
Whetrhee raer ea rchipeltahgeios elasn tdhse resohfa bHe
considearesad wholaen, dth ee xteonft thet erritorwiaalt ers
...s habHe m easufrroemdth ei! andssit uatmedo dsits tant
from the centero f the archipelago.
Ini tsf inarle soluotifo 1n9 2tgh, eIn stitduetD roIint ternational
propostehde f ollowing;
Whearrec hipelaargeco oensc erntheede ,x teonftt hem arginseaal
shabHem easufrroedmth eo utermisolasnt odrsi s letpsr ovided
thatth ea rchipeilsac goom poosf iesdla nadnsdi s lentso fta rther
apafrrot tena coht htehra tnw icthe eb readoftt hh em argisneaal
anda lspor ovidthedatt h eis lanodr i slentse aretost th ec oast
ort hem ainlaanrend o st ita tefda rthoeurt t hantw icthee
breadtohf the marginasel a.o
A proviosnito hnet e rritosreiaoal f a rchipewlaagisno celsu dine ad
dracfto nvenptrieopnaf roertd h e1 93C0o dificCatoionnfe raettn hcee
Hague;
In thec asoef archipelathgeoc eosn,s titiuselannta drsec onsid-
ereadsf ormian wg hoalnedt h ew idothf t hete rritosreiasalh all
bem easfruortmeh!ie s lamndodssi st tfarontmth ce e noteft hr e
archipelago.
TheP reparaCtoormy mitltaeteed r raftethde fo llowing:
Int hec asoef a grouopfi slanwdhsi cbhe lotnoga singSltea te
anda tt hec ircumferoefnt hcege rouapre n ost eparafrtoedmo ne
anothbeymr orteh atnw icteh eb readotfht e rritowriaalt etrhse,
belot f territorwiaalt esrsh ablle m easufrreodmt h eo utermost
islanodfst h eg rouWp.a teinrsc ludweidth tihne g rousph aalll so
be territorial waters.e
Theju dgmoefn tht eIn ternatC'oonuaorltf J ustiicnet heA nglo-
NorweFgiisahne rCieasso ef 1951o,p" inioonfsi n ternatliaownal
publicainstdths ew, orokft heIn ternaLtiaowCn oalm mhisasvaieoH n
contributtoet hde e volutioofn th ea rchipelastgaictre e gime,
Nationlanl 1 Cl9aim5st5h, ee volutoioft nh er egimenet erae nde wst agTeh. e
PhilippainnedIns d onemsaiadn ea tioncalal imTsh, eP hilippgionvee rn-
menset nat novtee rbatolet h eS ecreGtaerny eoraft lh eU nitesdta tions
oaM arc7h, 1955a,n da nothneort vee rbawleit hv irtuatlhlyes ame
conteonnJt anua2r0y1, 95t6ot heIn ternatLioanwCal o tnmisstsaitoinng,
thaat llw atebrse tweaennd c onnectdinifgfe renist landbse longtiong,
theP hilippAinrech ipel"airgreos, peocft tivhee iwr idtahn dd imension,
aren ecesaspapryu rtenoafn itcsela sn dte rritorfoy,r tnianngi n tegral
parot f then ationoarl i nlanwd atesr,u bjetcot t hee xclussivoev er-
199
eigntoyf theP hilippinAe!sI .o"t hewr atear reaws ithinth eI inm
describinet dh eT reaotyfP ariosl 'D ecem(cid:8),b le8r9 8 ando therre lated
agreemaernetc so nsidethreetd e rritorwiaalt eorsf theP hi!ippines,
Innocepnats saogff ep reigsnh ipthsr ougthh eswea tewrsa ass surined
thesneo tevesr baleIsn.t heC ongresAscioot nf !a9l6 !w hiccho nfirmed
thep ositoiof tnh ep hilippgionvee rnmtheenw t,a teernsc losbeydt r eaty
limitrse ferretod i n then otev erbaales t erritorwiaal tearsre
regardaesdp arto f thet erritooryf theP hilippiinsela ndsb,u tt he
waterws ithinth eb aselindersa wnfr omt hea ppropriaptoein tso f the
outermoisylia ndasr ed esignataesd "i nlandw aterso"r "internal
wate'r Ws"i.tt'hh e p romulgoaft thioiAsnc tth, eretfhorerie g, hotf
innocepnats saogfe f oreigns hipw ssp utin doubt.!
Afteirn dependoenAn cueg ul7s,t l 945I,n donecsoina tinutoep dro -
moteth eu tutcyo nceVpnt.t i!!9 S7I,n donesmiaa'rsi timjueri sdiction
wasg overnbeydt h e] 939T erritorSiae!as n dM aritimAer eaOsr dinance
inheriFterodtm he D utccho longioavl ernmwehnitc!s hti pulathteatdth e
widtohl 't hete rritosrieaaol ft heIn doneissilaannw dsat sh renea uti-
caml ilemse asueritehdef rro mst raigbhats elicnoensn ecthtieno gu ter
edgoef g g rouopf t woo rm ories lanodrsf r omth elo ww atemr arokf the
is!andIts w.la~as p patrheentnth atht ela wd idn ost ufficiseanfte!y-
guarIdn donesteiar'rsit oriinatle gri"typ.o ckeotfs h"i ghs eaisn the
middolfe th eIn doneasricahni pelhaagdbo eeesun s e-d- o rr athmeri sused
byh ostilfeo reigfonr cetosd estrtohyec ountarnyd th en atioTnh, e
heaorftI ndonwesaeisax potsoef odr eiginnt ervenstiuobnv, erasniodn,
aggression.
Theg ravseit uateionnd angethrienv ger eyx istenanceds urvivoat'l
Indoniens1 i9a5 c7o mpethlleeIn dd oneGsoiavne rntmome natka e h istoric
decisOionnl3 . Decemobft heray te atrh, eIn doneGsoiavne rnimsseunet d
theD juanDdeac !arawtiohnic,i hne ffecptr oclaimIneddo neasnia ar chi-
pe!agsitca tIet, s tatiensp artth a"ta llw atearrso unbde,t weaennd
connectthineig s lanodfs t her epubolifc I ndonerseigaa, rdloesf tsh eir
widtahr,et h en atuaraplp urtenoaft nhecla enstd e rritoorfI yn d.onesia,
andth erefoforerm,p a rotf thein ternoarn l ationwaalt eurns dtehre
absosluotvee reiogFnth tyeR epuobflIi ncd oneTshiaep. r"i nciples
under!ythiniscg o nceaprett h eu nitoyf thela ndan dt hew ateorsf
Indoneasniadth, ep oliticuanli toyf t hec ountry.
Indonesspiae'csrie asl ponsitboit lhiteiien ste rnatcioonmaml unity
regardinintegr natiomnaarli tittrnaeff iwce raed dresinst ehdeD eclara-
tiono f1 95r7e, flecittisna gw areonfet hsesim portoafnt hcees eaass
a meaonfs c ommunicaTthioeDn .e clarastitoatne isn,t ear lia,t hatth e
innocpeanst soafg foer eigvne ssteh!rso utghhein ternwala teernsc losed
byth en emw ethoofdd r awsintrga ibgahste ! innoecwsa llaerdc hipelagic
wateirssg !u aranstoel oendag s it isn oct ontrtaort hye s ovre ignty
ofa ndd oenso dt istutrhbes ecuroitfty h eR epubolifcI n done4sia.
TheD juanDdeac laraotfi1 o9n5w 7h icrehv okceedrt apirno visions
oft he1 93T9e rritoSrieaaaln dM aritiAmree aOsr dinawnacfsoe l lowed
byt hep romulgoafI t.iaowNn o4. o ft heY eal9r 6o0 nt heIn donesian
InternWaal teTrhsel.a wc onfiramndesl aborthaetae rsc hipesltaagteic
conceapsct ontaininet dh eD juanDdae claratsiotnip, ulattheasItn do-
nesiWana tecrosn soisftt heIn doneTseiarrnit oSrieaaal n dIn donesian
Wate5r asn,g div ae s! egaanltd e rritofrraiaml ewtoot hrenk ational
philosoopuht!icooaofI lnk d onbeassioaen dth ceo ncoeft phteu niotyf
the! andt,h ew aterasn, dth ep eop.l
Theim plemernetgiunlga t6io dne f'intehset e rt"nfo reigvne ssels"
anlda ydso wsnp ecriufilcec so ncetrhnieinn ngo cpeansts oafFg oer eign
200
fishinvge sseslsc,i entifriecs earvcehs s~a ,n dw arshiapssw ella s
foreign noncommercial government ships.
These national claims signify new elementsi n the evolution of the
concept of archipelagoesF. irstly, geographicu nity is no longer the
only basis of' the concept. Political and economicu nity as sell as
national security manifestedt hemselvesa s the more prominent basis,
Secondiy, it is the status of the waters enclosedb y the archipelagic
baselines which constitute the most essential element of the concept
rather than the method ol' drawing straight archipelagicb aselines,i n
as much as it gives meaning to the concepto f unity, ln their national
claims, Indonesia and the Philippines considered internal waters as the
only status that could correspondt o the concept of unity in its total-
ity. Thirdly, it became clearer that internationalr ecognitiono f the
concept of the archipelagics tate dependedo n a regime of passage
through the enclosed waters.
Brat aad Second United Nations Conferences on the Law of the Sea
It was at the First UN Conference on the Law of the Sea held in
Geneva in 1958 that the concepto f the archipelagics tate was advocated
by governments in an international forum. The Philippines submitted the
following proposals to the Conference:
The method of straight baselines shaH also be applied to archipe-
lagoes,l ying off the coast, whose component parts are sufficiently
dose to one another to form a compact ~hole and have been histori-
cally considered collectively as a single unit. The baselines shall
be drawn along the coast of the outermosti slands,f oHowing the
generalc onfigurationo f the archipelago. The waters within such
baselines shall be considered as internal waters. Alternative: When
islands lying off the coast are sufficiently close to one another
so as to form a compact whole and have been historicallyc onsidered
collectively as a single unit, they tnay be taken in their totality
and the method of straight baselinesp rovided in Article 5 may be
applied to determine their territorial sea. The baselines shaH be
dragon along the coast of the outermost islands, following the
general configuration of the group. Thy waters inside such base-
lines shall be considered internal waters.'
The proposalw as stronglyo pposedb y major maritimec ountriesw ho
were seriously concerned with the effect of the concept on the freedom
of navigation, In the face of such strong opposition and the lack of
sufficient support the composition of the participantso f the Confer-
ence was not advantageousto newly independent states tike indonesia
and the Philippines!, the Philippine delegation withdrew its proposal,
Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea
The effort to promote internationala cceptance of the archipelagic
state concept was renewed during preparatory work I'or the Third UN Con-
ference on the Law oF the Sea and during the Conference itself'.I ndone-
sia, the Philippines, Fiji, and Mauritius submitted draft principles oo
archipelagic states to the 1973 spring sessiono f the United Nations
Sea-bed Committee, the committeee ntrustedw ith the preparation of the
ThirdU niteNda tionCso nfereonnct eh eL awo f tg SeaT.h ep rinciples
spelled out in the Four Power draft are as follows:
201
I, Anya rchipelagSitca tew, hosceo mponenist landasn do thern atural
featurefos rma n intrinsgice ographieccaol,n omainc dp olitical
entitya, ndh istoricahllayv eo r mayh aveb eenre gardeadss uch,
mayd raws traighbt aselinceosn nectinthge outermopsto intos f the
outertnoisstl andasn dd ryingre efso f thea rchipelagfroo tnw hich
the extenot f the territorisael ao f the archipelasgtiact eis or
mny be determined.
2. Thew aterws ithint heb ase/ineresg, ardleosfs t heird eptho r dis-
tanceI'r omth ec oastth, es ea-beadn dt hes ubsotihl ereoaf,n dt he
superjaceanitr spacea,s well as all their resourcebse, longto and
ares ubjectot the sovereignotfy t hea rchipelagSitca te.
3. Innocepnat ssaogfe f oreigvne ssetlhsr ougthhe wateros f thea rchi-
pelagicS tates hall be allowedi n accordancwei th its national
legislatiohna,v ingre gardto the existinrgu leso f international
lawS. ucpha sssahgaebl le t hrousgeha iaayssm abye d esignated
for thep urposbey thea rchipelagSitca te.
Thea rchipelasgtiact ceo ncewpta sfu rtheer laboratuepdo ni n draft
articless ubmittebdy the four archipelagsitca test o the 1973s ummer
sessioonf t heU N Sea-BeCdo mmitteer«atont dh es econsde ssioofn t he
ThirdU Ni nferenceo nt heL awo f theS eah eldin 1974in Caracas,
VenezuelaT.hee~C aracaDsr aftd efinems orec learlayn a rchipelagic
slate,s pellinogu t rulesc oncerninthge drawingo f baselinefrso mw hich
thee xtenot f thet erritoriasl m,t hee conomziocn ea, ndo thers pecial
jurisdictiaorne aasr e to bem easureItd a. lsoe numerattheesn aturaen d
characterisotfi ctsh e watersin sidseu chb aselindeess ignateads
archipelawgiact erp, rescribreusle sfo r innocenpta ssagaen,d d efines
ther ightsa ndo bligatioonfs f oreignve sseelsx eggisipnags sagther ough
thea rchipelagwiact ersa ndt hed esignatesde alanes,
Thed rafta rticlesre ceivegde nersaul ppofrrto md evelopicnogu n-
triesa ttendintgh eC aracasse ssioTnh. eo pponenotfs t hed rafta rticles
wereth em ajorm aritimceo untriwehs ofe aretdh att hef reedomof naviga-
tionth rougthhea rchipelawgiact ewrso ulbde h ampeorerid tn peded.
In ordetro reacha mutualalyc ceptabsloe lutiotno thec onflicting
positioninst,e nsinveeg otiatiboentsw eethne m osdt irecyt !in terested
countriheesi dn, amelyth ef oura rchipelasgtiact easn dt hem ajomr ari-
timep owerrse,p resenpterdim ariblyy theU nitedS tateasn dt heS oviet
Union.
Severayle arso f intensidvier ectn egotiatiofinnsa llyp roduced
concrertees ultAs. consenwsuassr eacheind 1976b etweethne a rchipe-
lagics tateesx ceptht e Philippin beust includinnge wm embesrusc ha s
PapuNae wG uineaan dth eB ahamaansd!t h em ajomr aritimpeo weorsnt he
legarle gimoef 't hea rchipelasgtaicte w, hichn owa ppeairns PartI V of
the 1982U N Conventioonn the Lawo f theS ea.
LegalS tatuso f ArchipelagiWc aters
Preparator8y'o rkT owardas nA greedL ega!S tatus
Asm entioneeadrl ietrh, em osets senteilaelm eonft t hea rchipela-
gics taties ther egimoef archipelawgiact erFs.r omth ee arlys tagoef
thee volutioo~f 't hec oncepotf archipelatghoe,s tatuosf thew aters
enclosbeydt h ea rchipelabgaisce linheassa lwaybse enth ed etermining
factoinr reachianggr eemoennt th ec onceopft archipelaagsiod,ef r om
ther egimoef passaEgev.e anm ontgh ea rchipelasgtaicte tsh, isq uestion
was not easily resol ved.
202
In them eetingosf thea rchipelagstica tecso nsistionfg F iji,
IndonesiMa,a uritiuasn,d t heP hilippinheesl din NewY orko nM archl3 ,
l972a nd in Manilao n May2 5 and2 6 of thaty ear,i t wase videntth at
eachh ad differenpt ositionwsi th regardto the legals tatuso f the
wateresn closebdy thea rchipelagbaics elineTsh. eP hilippinienss isted
ond esignattihnegw aterass i nternawla terwsh ichw oulden surthe e
sovereigonft yth ea rchipelasgtiact ea ndw ouldb e consistewnitth i ts
lawsT. his positionw asb asicallsyh arebdy IndonesFiaij.i on theo ther
handp referretdo designatteh ew aterass a territoriasle aM. auritius's
positiown asc losetor thato f Fiji. Closelliyn kedt o theirr espective
positionosn the statuso f thee nclosewda terws ast he questioonf the
regimeo f passagteo be appliedin thosew aters,
Thed ifferingp ositionrse sultefdro mt heird ifferenpt erceptions
concerninthge concepotf ' thea rchipelagsitca teT. hec oncepotf unity
for the Philippinesa nd Indonesiais construedin its broadesst ense,
i.e., unityi n a geographpico,l itical,e conomiac,n d culturasl ense;
furthermotrhee, c oncepits securityo rientedF, orF iji, geographainc d
economicu nity are the essentiael lementso f the concept.
Realizintgh isd ifficuhyin, donessiuag gestethda t the draftp rin-
ciplessh ouldo nly describteh e natureo f the watersre flectintgh e
sovereigonft yth ea rchipelasgtiact eT. hiss uggestiowna sa greetdo and
thed rafpt rinciplseusb mitttoet dh eU NS ea-PCgo mmiitnt el9e7 3d id
notd esignataen y namef or thee nclosedw aters.
Thisa pproacwha sju stifiebde causthe ep roposesdta tuos f the
enclosedw aters-- as the draft principlerse vealed-- wasa legal
statussn i generiIst. is noti nternawl aterbse causite a llowst he
innocepnat ssagoef foreignv esselsit; is not a territoriasle ab ecause
thew atersli e on the inners ideo f the territoriasl eab aselineasn d
ther egimoef internawl ater sw ithi nnocepnat ssagaep!p lieisn those
watenr eithiesri t highse abse cauthseeri sen of reedoofm na viga-
tion.
Finallya, t the1 973s ummesre ssioonf theU NS ea-BeCdo mmittethee
term' archipelagwica tersw" asu sedin thef irst comprehensdirvaef t
articloen t hea rchipelsatgaitsceu bmitbteytd h efo uar rchipelagic
states. 6
t egaSl tstaso f ArchipelagWica terUs ndert heC onvention
Articlel9 l! of theC onventsiotinp ulattehsa tt hes overeigonfty
ana rchipelasgtiact e" extendtos t hew ateresn closebdy thea rchipela-
gicb aselinejosi"n ingth e outermopsoti ntso f theo utermoisslta nds
andd ryingre efso f the archipelasgtiact et;h esea re thew aterdse s-
cribeads a rchipelawgiact ersP.a ragra2p ho f thes ameA rticlep rovides
thatt hiss overeign"etyx tendtos thea ir spacoev ert hea rchipelagic
watersa,s w ella st o theirb eda nds ubsoailn, dt he resourcceosn tained
therein."
It is statedi n Article4 9(cid:3)!, howevert,h at this sovereignitsy
exercisseudb jectot the provisioonfs P artI V. It is obviouthsa tt his
paragrarpehfe rst o thosep rovisiotnhsa th aveth e effecto f limiting
the sovereigntyo f the archipelagics tate,e .g., provisionso n the
righto f innocenpt assag Aer ticle5 2!,o n the right of archipelasgeica
lanesp assag Aer ticle5 3!,one xistinrgig htsa nda ll otherl egitimate
interestso f "an immediatelya djacentn eighbourinsgt ate' Article
47(cid:6)!!, existinagg reemenwtsi tho thers tateso,n traditionafli shing
rightsa nd otherl egitimataec tivitieos f the 'immediatelya djacent
neighbourSintagt easn" do ne xistinsgu bmarincaeb le sA rticl5el !, and
203