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Analysis: The Cable reports that President Barack Obama and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.)are behind a renewed effort to have the Senate ratify the UnitedNations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Kerry, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman, has been tryingto set up hearings since last year, but Senator Richard Lugar(R-IN), the top-ranking Republican in the committee, wanted todelay hearings until after his primary. Some conservative quarters fiercely oppose the treaty, believingthat ratification would weaken American sovereignty. Consequently, it seems that Lugar believed that if he pushed forthe treaty's ratification, it could have hampered his re-electioncampaign. Yet Lugar lost his primary, so now Kerry is free to begin arranginghearings. According to the Cable, the first will be a "24-starhearing," with six four-star military officers. Secretary ofDefense Leon Panetta is also expected to testify. 'Time to assert role as global leader' He recently voiced his support for the treaty at the Law of the SeaSymposium last week, where he remarked in his speech : "The time has come for the United States to have a seat at thetable, to fully assert its role as a global leader, and accede tothis important treaty. It is the bedrock legal instrumentunderpinning public order across the maritime domain." Support for ratification of UNCLOS is also strong from PresidentObama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the military,industry, and many Democrats and Republicans. President Clintonsigned the treaty in 1994 (only for the Senate not to ratify it),and President Bush supported it as well. Today's administration is particularly keen on ratifying the treatyin order to give the U.S. an upper hand in mediating disputes inthe South China Sea and keeping the Strait of Hormuz open. The U.S.would also be able to exercise support for freedom of navigation ofthe seas through treaty law rather than by relying on customaryinternational law. UNCLOS plays major roles in world's regions While territorial and maritime boundary disputes in the South ChinaSea between countries like China and the Philippines make the headlines and constitute some of the main reasons for the administration toprioritize ratification now, it is also looking to other regions ofthe world where UNCLOS will play a major role, namely the Arctic.Panetta said in his speech, Accession would ensure our ability to reap the benefits of theopening of the Arctic -- a region of increasingly importantmaritime security and economic interest. We already see countriesthat are posturing for new shipping routes and natural resources asArctic ice cover melts and recedes. The Convention is the onlymeans for international recognition and acceptance of our extendedcontinental shelf claims in the Arctic, and we are the only Arcticnation that is not party to the Convention. Accession would alsopreserve our navigation and over-flight rights throughout theArctic, and strengthen our arguments for freedom of navigationthrough the Northwest Passage and Northern Sea Route. Final Arctic state to ratify treaty The U.S. would be the final Arctic littoral state to ratify thetreaty. Norway did so in 1996, Russia in 1997, Canada in 1999, andDenmark in 2004. The U.S. has been working to map its Arctic seafloor for some time,so it would not be terribly far behind in submitting its claimsonce it ratifies UNCLOS. The Arctic Council and UNCLOS are two ofthe most important forums for multilateral discussion andresolution of issues in the circumpolar north. For the U.S. to not be a party to the latter weakens, rather thanstrengthens, its sovereignty in the Arctic. Furthermore, along withthe other four littoral states, the U.S. has already expressedsupport for the treaty. The Ilulissat Declaration of May 2008 expresses: Notably, the Law of the Sea provides for important rights andobligations concerning the delineation of the outer limits of thecontinental shelf, the protection of the marine environment,including ice-covered areas, freedom of navigation, marinescientific research, and other uses of the sea. We remain committedto this legal framework and to the orderly settlement of anypossible overlapping claims. The U.S. will not be truly committed to UNCLOS, though, until itratifies the treaty. As the issues in the Arctic grow more complexand necessitate multilateral solutions, it becomes more importantfor the Senate to ratify it soon. This story is posted on Alaska Dispatch as part of Eye on the Arctic , a collaborative partnership between public and privatecircumpolar media organizations. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as China LED Flashlight Housing , China Modern Furniture Accessories, and more. For more , please visit LED Heat Sinks today!
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