Canada And The U.S. Ought To Get Together On Arctic Strategy

Right-wing U.S. senators, who typically fret loss of American sovereignty, have thwarted efforts to sign the convention which came into effect in 1994 and now has 60 signatories. Under the convention, disputes about the status of any waterway, can be submitted to a tribunal. The Law of the Sea, 14 years in the making, awards coastal states sovereignty over "territorial sea" extending 12 nautical miles from their coastlines. Further, coastal states enjoy rights to a 200-mile "exclusive economic zone" extending from their coasts, entitling them to harvest any relevant subsea riches such as oil and natural gas. The convention states specifically that where there's a group of islands with interconnecting waters -- as in Canada's North -- states may establish sea lanes in which other states enjoy a right of "archipelagic passage." Thus, assuming Canada owns the passage, the U.S. clearly would be free to transit it with Canadian permission... Full article: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/columnists/story.html?id=0542d212-8fb1-49a5-a0e7-2e05bba7e6c3

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