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in the exploitation of mineral resources of the deep seabed. Any
system must ensure that all nations have access to these resources
on an equitable basis. We believe that an accommodation can be
reached on a system under which some mining sites in the inter-
national area would be available to an international organization
for the benefit of the developing countries, and an equal portion would
be available to states and their nationals for direct exploitation.

Although our political differences may take some time to resolve
at the Conference, the men who are working at sea to develop the
ocean minerals must continue to do so. The United States has no
interest in impeding the development of ocean mineral resources
for our own use and for the use of others. While it would be
preferable for all exploitation to commence under the new

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international regime, we cannot restrain exploitation prior to that
time. The U.S. and all states have a responsibility to bring a
new regime into force before it is too late.

In addition to these, the Law of the Sea Conference must
address other important issues:

-- The maritime environment must be protected from
pollution. The United States believes that the
development and enforcement of effective international
environmental standards is essential; a patchwork of
national standards cannot do the job.

-- Freedom for marine scientific research is the key to
man's enlightened use of the oceans. Our knowledge of
ocean space must be expanded and the United States will
work to ensure that coastal state controls do not hamper
activities which benefit all mankind.

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-- And, any treaty must contain effective provisions for the peaceful and compulsory third-party settlement of disputes. Neither we nor any other state should be prepared to accept unilateral interpretation of its treaty rights by foreign states or by an international seabed authority.

Our ability to manage these issues is diminishing rapidly. For the first time in history, the community of man has met, not to solve a crisis that has occurred, or to deal with the aftermath of war, but to devise means of preventing conflict yet in the future. We cannot be said by future historians to have been ignorant of the stakes nor blind to the opportunity.

The Law of the Sea is the most comprehensive issue which now challenges the progress of international law. Other issues, perhaps less complex but no less important must be placed on our agenda. The use of space is an issue concomitant to the seas. Yet it raises its own special problems.

## Outer Space

Since the first launching of a satellite in 1957, we have experienced nearly two decades of space flights by a growing number of states. This experience has firmly established a customary principle of international law that outer space, unlike national air space, is open to exploration and use by all states.

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On the basis of this, a complex international legal structure
for space activities has been developing. The United States and
the Soviet Union, as the earliest space powers, and other con-
cerned countries, primarily the United Kingdom, France and
Canada, soon realized that the common good as well as our
separate national interests would require guidelines and
restraints to be imposed in advance of technological developments.

Over a decade ago the United States and the Soviet Union
concluded that military and armaments competition in outer
space would not be advantageous to either. Following extensive
bilateral and multilateral negotiations, the United Nations in
1966 approved a treaty which expressly prohibits orbiting or
stationing nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction in outer
space. Since that time nations have apparently respected that