Continental shelf matter:

Strong delegation from Lanka

Irangika RANGE and Sandasen MARASINGHE

Foreign Affairs Minister Rohtiha Bogollagama told Parliament yesterday a strong delegation has been sent to support the staff of the Sri Lanka Mission in New York to canvass likeminded developing states and to reach an understanding on ways and means of expediting the process of claiming the outer limits of the legal continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from Sri Lanka.

The Minister said Sri Lanka was advised by Dr. Harald Brekke and Dr. Yuri Kazmin in the preparation of its submission. Sri Lanka also acknowledged the advice and assistance provided by Dr. Philip Symonds under assistance provided by the Australian Government.

The UN convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) of 1982 requires states/ parties to submit geological and scientific data and other material pertaining to the establishment of the outer limits of the Legal Continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles to the Commission on the limits of the continental shelf (CLCS).

Accordingly, the Inter Ministerial Committee consisting of senior officials of all line Ministries agencies along with international experts from UK, New Zealand, Netherlands, USA, Norway and the Russian Federation presented a full submission to the CLCS on May 8, well in advance of the May 13, timeline. All efforts have been taken to assure that the submission is legally and technically sound.

Thus in the preparation of submission, Sri Lanka team has to carefully analyse and process data to ensure the satisfaction of all the criteria in the Statement of Understanding (SoU). As to our bilateral negotiations with India in this regard, two countries have closely collaborated in securing the special method of delimitation for the states in the Southern Part of the Bay of Bengal which is now reflected in the SoU.

Since the work commenced on Sri Lanka's submission, five rounds of consultations have been held with India to coordinate Sri Lanka's positions in making our respective submissions to the CLCS.

India's support would be a vital factor in invoking the applicability of the SoU, when Sri Lanka's submission is taken up by the Commission.

Sri Lanka and India have a track record of cooperation on this issue from the time of the Law of the Sea Conference.

It was as a result of this close cooperation that we were able to secure a special method of delimitation in the Southern part of the Bay of Bengal, the Minister said.