U.S. EASES STAND ON SEABED MINING

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82S00697R000400100001-4
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 26, 2002
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: August 12, 1975
• Content Type: NSPR

~i iir>r,v 8/12/75
Approved For Release #
Kissinger Offers a 'Plan tc
Let Poor Nations Benefit
Through a Joint Body
By LESLEY OELSNER
Sueclal to The New York Times
MONTREAL, Aug. 11-Secre.
tary of State Kissinger today
offered the developing nations
a compromise United States po-
sition on deep-sea mining in an
effort to remove a major obsta-
cle in negotiations over a new
law of the sea.
The proposal was one of sev-
eral conciliatory gestures to
other nations, mostly to devel-
oping or so-called third world
nations, in a speech at the
meeting here of the American
gar Association.
The compromise would per-
rhit mining of the deep seabeds
both by indvidual nations and
their companies and by a new,
international organization that:
would mine primarily for the
benefit of developing nations,;
with assistance from the more':
developed. The developing na-
tions have said that only. the:
projected new organization;
should be permitted to extract
the 'mineral resources that lie
beneath the seabeds; the United
States, until now, has said that
SDch mining should be done by
the individual nations and their
citizens.
'Mr. Kissinger said that the
United States would press for
final action on. this and other
issues when the United Nations
Conference on the Law of the
Sea resumes in New York next
year. He called the conference
"one of the most comprehen-
sive and critical negotiations
in history" and warned: "The,
breakdown of the current ne-'
gotiation, a failure to reach a
legal consensus, will lead to un-
restrained military and com-
mercial rivalry and mounting
political turmoil."
Review of U.S. Policies
The other 'conciliatory, ges-
tures in his speech-a review
of United States priorities and
policies in international law- 1
included the -following:
cThe United States is pre-
pared to "make a major effort"
in drawing up "an agreed state-
ment of basic principles" to
guide the actions of multina-
tional companies, and invites'
"the participation of all inter-
ested parties."
IlThe Administration opposes
unilateral .action,- in the form of
bills pending before Congress,
to establish fz 200-mile fishing
zone off United .States coasts.
It will make some "interim" ar-
rangements with other coun-
tries, IYIr. Kissinger said, but it
favors a,?olutipn worked out at
the Law of the Sea Conference.
f tecognizing ' that there
should be "full consultation!
'an)ong the nations directly con-
cerned" with certain American
spice activities, the United
States "stands ready to engage
in a 'cooper'ative search for
agreed international ground
rules for these activities."
Specifically, Secretary Kis-
singer mentioned "earth-sensing
satelites" that are used to gath-
er environmental information
and broadcasting' satellites by
wljich nations may some day be
able to relay broadcasts di-
re~tly into other countries.
,,Curb on Terrorism Urged
Speaking in the huge Place
des Arts hall here before thou-
sands of judges, lawyers and
members of their families, Mr.
Kissinger reiterated his call for
new restraints by the United
Nations to combat terrorism,
such as sanctions against na-
tigns that harbor aircraft hi-
jackers and terrorists. Earlier
prpposals on this subject have
not had much effect because
theY have been viewed primar-
ily as anti-Arab,
yr. Kissinger also described
United States goals .for reform
of the law of war, particularly
"greater protection" for civili-
ans and for prisoners of war,
the missing in action and the
wounded, and "application of
international standards of hu-
mane conduct in civil wars."
Though Mr. Kissinger's pro
osal on, deep-sea mining re
)resented, a. compromise, the
7{Iited States was offering a
plan that still gives it what it.
wants: the right of its com-
panies to mine the seas.
The law of the Sea Confer-
ence, which opened in Caracas,
Venezuela, in 1974, and con-
tinued in Geneva this year, had
it$ origin in a United States
mandate in 1970. It involves
many aspects of regulating the
oceans, from ecology to ques-
tions of territorial waters. Two,
especially controversial aspects
have been deep-sea mining and
fishing rights.
`Common Heritage of Man'
The 1970 resolution specified
that the resources in the deep
seas were the "common herit-
age of mankind." According to
Richard T. Scully of the State
Department office dealing with
the sea law negotiations, all
sides contemplated the forma-
tion of some kind of interna-
tional organization to assume
responsibility. "
However, the developing na-
tions have conended that the
phrase used in the United Na-
?tions resolution meant that such
at organization should do the
mining for the benefit of the
various nations. The United
States contended that "common
heritage" referred to the bene-
fits of the seas, that all peopls
h uld have access to seabed
in ,ing and that thejrganiza-
Approved For Release t>/1~/$2 g500697R000400100001
minis ra rye or a
standards and to funnel funds
m companies' profits to the
,10N SEABED MINN
 Approv I W23JJWI R. F .j QdfflfZ 400100001-
It's anyone guess whether the 144 well as ,coondlutammininJ mining operations on
governments participating in the long- its own, using the profits and its royal-
running, peripatetic United Nations ties to aid development of poor coun-
Law of the Sea Conference. will even- tries. Mr., Kissinger made it clear,
tually lash together a global treaty re- however, that the United States would
gulating the use and exploitation of the demand that industrialized nations have
seas acceptable to the world at large. a strong voice inmining policy and that
But a draft charter was produced at the private and state corporations be guar-
Conference's last session, held this year anteed a principal part in exploiting
in Geneva. It remains to be seen wheth- ocean mineral resources.
er Secretary of State Kissinger has de- Moreover, he said, the compromise
vised a formula that will assure the would be acceptable, to the Ford Ad-
Conference's success. ' ministration only as an element in an
A major impediment-though not the overall treaty fixing the territorial-wa-
only one-to an' international-sea-law ters limit at 12 miles and establishing
agreement is the insistence of Third a 200-mile "economic zone" in which
World countries upon creation of an in- coastal states would control fishing, and
ternational seabed authority empow- mineral resources, but freedom of navi-
ered to determine who should mine the gation would be vouchsafed.
oceans' riches and where. Washington Mr. Kissinger was undoubtedly cor-
has been among the most adamant ob- rect when he warned that "unres-
jectors to any such scheme. trained military and commercial rivalry
But Mr. Kissinger suggested a com- and mounting political turmoil" would
promise of the issue in his address to be the price of failure to achieve a
the American Bar Association meeting "legal consensus" on the seas. The sea
in Montreal. He urged that a world or- overflows with wealth and powerful in-
ganization be set. up to allot mining dustrial entities are itching to get at it.
~Ap PcB l 3f~ n~~ ~ : ~ f~i_}i t f" ;"60 -4
areas outside national jurisdictions, as r wou a oo 's o reuse.
 Approved For Release 2002/03/22 : CIA-RDP82SO0697R000400100001-4
State Hospitals
.n Connecticut Face
Protest by Doctors
HARTFORD, Aug., 26 (AP)-
actors, including psychiatrists,
t four state mental hospitals
Mn cutting back their work
,eek today, refusing to work
ore than 35 hours and giving
riority to medical rather than
ministrative duties.
The action followed rejection
the physicians yesterday of
$4.500 annual raise. -
Fifty-two psychiatrists and
other doctors at the four in-
itutions. are demanding raises
$8,000 to $10,000 annually.
Mental Health. Commissioner
nest shepherd said 47 resi-
nt psychiatrists who were
ill in training were not af-
cted by the Job action be-
use their training required
nger hours.
If the job action continues.
or a period of time, it's going
be difficult for 35 hours a
eek to meet necessary medi-
tl coverage," Commissioner
rrepherd said. "After a period
time people would have to
ay longer. Treatment will
ave to be limited or dropped."
Gov. Ella T. Grasso said at
news conference today that
our concern is that the work
oes on" al; the hospitals.
She said $4,500 a year
seems to be a pretty good
,gure" and the administration
'fight implement 'it even if the,
actors did not agree.
If that happens, doctors will-I
'rg to work 45 hours a week
could get the raise. Those hold-
ag to 35 hours, the standard
'ork week for state employes
could not.
Commissioner Shepherd said l
actors worked an average of!
5 hours a week in mental in-I
titutions but many spend ul
a 70 hours on the job.
Strong Quake in Chile
SANTIAGO, Chile, Aug. 26
JPI) - A strong earthquake
took northern Chile and
authern Peru late yesterday,
to police reported today.. No
juries or damage were re- i
.News Summary and Index
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 1975
The Major Events of the Day,
International
The United States seems destined to
emergefror negotiations for an Egyptian-
Israeli accord as the major outside power in
the Middle East and deeply involved in the
affairs of the area, in the view' of Arab,
Israeli and American officials. Some of Sec-
retary of State Kissinger's aides are wonder-
ing if the, United States may not be getting
too involved. Most officials feel the process
has been started and will be difficulty to
stop. [Page 1, Columns 2-3.1
Secretary of State Kissinger is expected
to take a more conciliatory stand toward de-
mands from the developing nations for a
greater share of the world's wealth when he
addresses the United Nations General Assem-
bly at a special session next v/eek.'The draft
of his speech is said to include concrete
proposals .for a world food reserve system,
more credits and lowered. tariffs to promote
industrialization, aid to increase farm output,
financing of trade deficits and new interna-
tional facilities to guide such activities. [1:1.]
Talks at Victoria Falls between Rhodesia's
white-minority Government and black na.
tionalist leaders broke down with each side
blaming the other. The latest attempt to
negotiate a step toward majority rule failed
despite major efforts by Prime Minister John
Vorster of South Africa and President
Kenneth D. Kaunda of Zambia to keep the
two --- ,. TR:.+:..fn.. -_ n
Smith
would
he w
Africa
the A
Mat]
The
`lie m
..i -ur
r'^;oi1
::cone
;napac
merce
U"IrYll
year
Pre
rrrSic
over the longshoremen's boycott agains
grain shipments. to the Soviet Union. As M
Meany left the White House he said th
unions had received additional informatio
but that the situation had not changed. Di,,
cussions, he said, would continue:-[1:1.1
. The obstetrics and gynecology advisor
committee of the Food and Drug, Adminir
tration has recommended that women ow
40 be urged.to discontinue using birth cot
trol, pills because for that age group the ris
of death from heart attack is four times
great as for nonusers. An F.D.A. bulleti
mailed to physicians recommended the shi
to alternate birth control methods on tl
basis of two British studies. [1:2-3.1
The Postal Rate Commission has overrulE
the recommendation of an administrath
law judge that. first-class rates be lowerec
Instead, it opened the way to raise lette
rates to 13 cents from 10 cents, according.t
informed Administration sources. [1:6-7.1
Metropolitan
'Governor Carey moved to set, up a_stal
board of overseers for the city's fiscal affair
and to appropriate $1-billion of state fun(
to help the city avert default. The boas
would receive the entire $7-billion to $
billion in revenues to the city from tax
and state and Federal aid that it now, ge
directly, and would insure that revenues
Approved For Release 2002/03/22 : CIA-RDP82SO0697R000400100001-4
 + ..c 7,- The 200 Mile Limit,
ApproSFed FderRodeaft2M2/ i/ QSCflgo(QF 2fiQO ! QQQ4QQi1QQQ 1
Committee recently .approved a bill tober.
that will prohibit fishing by foreign '--Adm. James Holloway, Chief of
. fleets within 200 miles of the coasts Naval Operations, testified that the
of the U.S., and approval by the full proposed bill'might result in U.S.
Senate is expected shortly: ? One warships and possibly merchant
measure of its popularity can be ships being denied -access to the
seen in the 2-to-1 margin by which Mediterranean and other important
the House passed a similar bill last waterways.
month. Congress is unimpressed with
There is the usual mixture of po- assurances that the Law of the Sea
litical expediency and economic ad- Conference is almost certain soon to
vantage behind the congressional include a 200-mile economic. zone
enthusiasm; some arguments are treaty with the kinds of protection it
o,'a a par with those warnings a few wants. And, proponents of the bills
years ago that foreign "sweat ' are probably right that such a
shops" were destroying the Ameri- treaty is more a hope than a cer-
can textile industry. And there is an tainty. But the most reasonable and
element of national muscle. flexing effective safeguards, in our view,
in inferences that we should pass can be assured through bilateral
the bill and leave it to the Coast agreements between interested na-
Guard, or Navy if need be, to deal tions. The State Department ig-
with any foreign fleets foolish nored the problem. of fish depletion
enough to transgress. for much too long, but current bilat-
Congressmen who favor the bill eral agreements with Russia, Japan
generally seem convinced that it is and other nations seem adequate to
necessary for protecting the U.S. protect principal fish stocks. If not,
fishing industry and for preventing they should be renegotiated so that
the depletion of dwindling fish they do provide adequate protec.
stocks. Nevertheless, there are bet- tion.
ter ways to accomplish these desir- Legal. scholars are agreed that
able ends. tl such unilateral action being planned
The State Department, which is by Congress would violate interna-
lobbying against the extension, is tional law. And since international
.concerned by the fact that 15 na- law has taken such a 'drubbing in
tions already have claimed a 200- recent years, we don't wonder that
mile limit. For the U.S. to do so, it Congress does not feel any overrid-
feels, would invite a stampede of ing urge to genuflect before it. Yet
other nations to follow suit. And it it is important for the U.S. to avoid
could lead some to claim not, just being a party to any such violations,
fishing rights but sovereignty far in part as an example to those who
out into the oceans. Mexico, for ex- do mock it, but more importantly in
ApM'ikSi~'~t ~0 0 ~ f5 ~a`flef* I eCl -gale 0 ions.