A/CONF.13/38 United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea Official records Volume II: PLENARY MEETINGS Summary records of meetings and Annexes GENEVA 24 February — 27 April 1958 United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea Official records Volume II: PLENARY MEETINGS Summary records of meetings and Annexes GENEVA 24 February — 27 April 1958 A/CONF.13/38 UNITED NATIONS PUBLICATION Sales No.: 58. V. 4, Vol. II Price: $(U.S.)1.75; 12/6 stg.; Sw. fr. 7.50 (or equivalent in other currencies) ii INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Official Records of the United Nations Conference on documents relating to that part of the Conference's work the Law of the Sea comprise seven volumes, as follows : which forms the subject of the volume in question; the index shows where these documents may be found. The present Volume I: Preparatory Documents volume contains an index to the documents relating to the Volume II: Plenary Meetings General Committee and to the plenary meetings. Volume III: First Committee (Territorial Sea and Con- Symbols of United Nations documents are composed of tiguous Zone) capital letters combined with figures. Mention of such a symbol Volume IV: Second Committee (High Seas; General indicates a reference to a United Nations document. Regime) The Conference documents all bear the symbol Volume V: Third Committee (High Seas : Fishing, Con- A/CONF.13/.. .followed by capital letters and figures which servation of Living Resources) indicate the nature of the document concerned : Volume VI: Fourth Committee (Continental Shelf) Volume VII: Fifth Committee (Question of free access to Symbol Nature of document the sea of Land-locked countries) A/CONF 13/1 to 36 Preparatory Documents A/CONF.13/L.ltoL.58 Volumes III to VII contain the summary records of the Plenary Meetings meetings and the relevant documents, which appear as annexes. A/CONF, 13/SR.l to SR.21 These include the draft articles prepared by the International A/CONF.13/BUR/L.l to L.7 General Committee of the Law Commission and the final texts adopted by the committees A/CONF.13/BUR/SR.l to SR.7 Conference of the Conference. A/CONF.13/C.l/L.l to L.168 The present volume contains : A/CONF.13/C.l/SR.l toSR.66 First Committee (a) Resolution 1105 (XI) of the General Assembly convening A/CONF.13/C.2/L.l to L.153 the Conference: Second Committee (b) The list of delegations; A/CONF.13/C.2/SR.l to SR.37 A/CONF 13/C.3/L.l to L.93 (c) The officers of the Conference and of its committees, Third Committee and the secretariat of the Conference; A/CONF 13/C.3/SR.1 to SR.43 A/CONF, 13/C.4/L.l to L.67 (d) The agenda of the Conference; Fourth Committee (e) The rules of procedure of the Conference; A/CONF 13/C.4/SR.l to SR.42 A/CONF 13/C.5/L.1 to L.27 (/) The summary records of the plenary meetings ; Fifth Committee (g) Documents published as annexes; these include the A/CONF 13/C.5/SR.1 toSR.25 reports of the five main committees and of the Drafting Committee of the Conference, the conventions, the protocol of signature, the resolutions adopted by the Conference and the Final Act. The records of the meetings of the General Committee of the Conference have not been printed. A summary of the The summary records of the plenary meetings contained in discussions in that Committee will be found in the General this volume were originally distributed in nimeographed form Committee's reports to the Conference which appear as annexes as documents A/CONF. 13/SR.l to SR.21. They include the (A/CONF.13/L.2, L.8, L.9 and L.23). corrections to the provisional summary records that were Each volume includes a table of contents which indicates the requested by the delegations and such drafting and editorial matters dealt with at each meeting and an index listing all the modifications as were considered necessary. iii CONTENTS Page Page Index of documents relating to the General Committee 10th plenary meeting and to the plenary meetings vii Wednesday, 23 April 1958, at 10.15 a.m. Resolution 1105 (XI) of the General Assembly of the United Nations convening the Conference xi Consideration of the report of the Second Committee 20 List of delegations xiii llth plenary meeting Officers of the Conference and its committees . .. xxvii Wednesday, 23 April 1958, at 3.15 p.m. Secretariat of the Conference xxviii Consideration of the report of the Second Committee (continued) 24 Agenda xxix 12th plenary meeting Rules of procedure xxxi Thursday, 24 April 1958, at 3 p.m. Summary records of plenary meetings Consideration of the report of the Fifth Committee . 28 1st plenary meeting Consideration of the recommendations adopted by the General Committee concerning the procedure to be Monday, 24 February 1958, at 3 p.m. followed in dealing with the articles relating to the Opening of the Conference 1 breadth of the territorial sea and the contiguous zone 30 Question of the representation of China 2 13th plenary meeting Election of the President 3 Friday, 25 April 1958, at 10.15 a.m. Adoption of the agenda 3 Adoption of the rules of procedure 3 Fourth report of the Drafting Committee of the Conference: proposals regarding the judicial settle- 2nd plenary meeting ment of disputes 30 Tuesday, 25 February 1958, at 3 p.m. 14th plenary meeting Appointment of a Credentials Committee 4 Friday, 25 April 1958, at 2.45 p.m. Adoption of the rules of procedure (concluded) 4 Consideration of the report of the First Committee (Part I: articles 3 and 66) and of proposals relating 3rd plenary meeting to articles 3 and 66 35 Wednesday, 26 February 1958, at 4 p.m. 15th plenary meeting Convening of the main committees 6 Friday, 25 April 1958, at 8.50 p.m. Election of Vice-Presidents 6 Consideration of the report of the First Committee Organization of work 6 (Part I: articles 3 and 66) and of proposals relating to articles 3 and 66 (continued) 42 4th plenary meeting Consideration of the report of the Third Committee . 43 Friday, 28 February 1958, at 10.45 a.m. 16th plenary meeting Organization of work (continued) 6 Saturday, 26 April 1958, at 10.30 a.m. 5th plenary meeting Consideration of the report of the Third Committee Tuesday, 18 March 1958, at 10.30 a.m. (continued) 47 Note verbale addressed to the President of the Consideration of the report of the Credentials Committee 49 Conference by the Secretary-General of the United Nations 17th plenary meeting Saturday, 26 April 1958, at 3 p.m. 6th plenary meeting Sixth report of the Drafting Committee of the Monday, 14 April 1958, at 3 p.m. Conference: final clauses 51 Report by the General Committee on the progress of Eighth report of the Drafting Committee of the the work of the Conference and on the appointment Conference: judicial settlement of disputes 54 of the Drafting Committee 7 Consideration of the report of the Fourth Committee 7th plenary meeting (continued) 55 Monday, 21 April 1958, at 10.15 a.m. 18th plenary meeting Consideration of proposals concerning the settlement Saturday, 26 April 1958, at 8.30 p.m. of disputes 7 Consideration of the report of the Fourth Committee (concluded) 8th plenary meeting Adoption of the Convention on the Continental Shelf 55 Tuesday, 22 April 1958, at 10 a.m. Consideration of the report of the Third Committee Consideration of the report of the Fourth Committee 11 (concluded) Adoption of the Convention on Fishing and Conser- 9th plenary meeting vation of the Living Resources of the High Seas .. 57 Tuesday, 22 April 1958, at 3 p.m. Consideration of the report of the Second Committee Consideration of the report of the Fourth Committee (concluded) (continued) 15 Adoption of the Convention of the High Seas 59 Page Page 19th plenary meeting 21st plenary meeting Sunday, 27 April 1958, at 11.30 a.m. Sunday, 27 April 1958, at 10.10 p.m. Consideration of the report of the First Committee Statements by the representatives of Guatemala, Mexico (Part II: articles 1, 2 and 4 to 25) 61 and the United Kingdom 73 Proposals for the convening of a new United Nations 20th plenary meeting conference on the law of the sea 73 Tribute to the International Law Commission : proposal Sunday, 27 April 1958, at 3.30 p.m. by Colombia 78 Consideration of the report of the First Committee Closure of the Conference 78 (Part II: articles 1, 2 and 4 to 25) (concluded) 65 Adoption of the Convention on the Territorial Sea Annexes 81 and the Contiguous Zone 69 (See below, entries in bold type in index to documents.) INDEX TO DOCUMENTS OF THE GENERAL COMMITTEE AND PLENARY MEETINGS Note. — Documents listed in bold type are reproduced in this volume. Document No. Title Page Observations A/3159 Report of the International Law Commission covering the work Official Records of the of its eighth session General Assembly, Eleventh Session, Supplement No. 9 A/CONF.13/ Organization of the work of the Conference: memorandum by Mimeographed. For the BUR/L.l the Secretariat substance of this document, see A/CONF.13/L.2 A/CONF.13/ Progress of work of the Conference : report by the Secretariat Mimeographed. For the BUR/L.2 substance of this document, see A/CONF.13/L.8 A/CONF.13/ Judicial settlement of disputes arising out of the application and See A/CONF.13/L.24, annex BUR/L.3 interpretation of the body of provisions adopted by the Conference: letter dated 9 April from the Chairman of the Swiss Delegation to the President of the Conference A/CONF.13/ Progress of work of the Conference: report by the Secretariat Mimeographed BUR/L.4 A/CONF.13/ Inclusion in the convention of an article on general compulsory See A/CONF.13/L.24, annex BUR/L.5 jurisdiction or arbitration: letter dated 14 April 1958 from the Chairman of the Colombian Delegation to the President of the Conference A/CONF.13/ Inclusion in the convention of an article on the settlement of See A/CONF.13/L.24, annex BUR/L.6 disputes: note verbale addressed by the Chairman of the Netherlands Delegation to the President of the Conference A/CONF.13/ Summary records of the meetings of the General Committee Mimeographed BUR/SR.l to (1st meeting - 7th meeting) SR.7 A/CONF.13/L.1 Bulgaria: amendments to rules 1 and 63 of the provisional rules Incorporated in the summary of procedure (A/CONF.13/L.10) record of the second plenary meeting, paras.