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President Mori Sets Task Force on Continental Shelf Project

Palikir, Pohnpei (FSM Information Services): May 19, 2009 - President Mori has selected three Departments within the Executive Branch to work together with the National Oceanic Resource Management Authority (NORMA) to prepare the legal and other justifications to support the submission of the FSM to the UN Commission on the Continental Shelf. The Departments

Of Foreign Affairs, Resources and Development and the Department of Justice will assist NORMA on the task force now that the technical work has been completed on our submissions to the United Nations through the FSM Mission to the UN.

The Division of Ocean Affairs and Law of the Sea (DOALOS) will set a time where this task force will go before the Commission to justify FSM's claims.

As background information:

On 5 May 2009, the Federated States of Micronesia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands submitted jointly to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, in accordance with Article 76, paragraph 8, of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, information on the limits of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured concerning the Ontong Java Plateau.

It is noted that the Convention entered into force for the Federated States of Micronesia on 16 November 1994, for Papua New Guinea on 13 February 1997 and for Solomon Islands on 23 July 1997.

In accordance with the Rules of Procedure of the Commission, a communication is being circulated to all Member States of the United Nations, as well as States Parties to the Convention, in order to make public the executive summary of the joint submission, including all charts and coordinates contained in that summary.

The consideration of the joint submission made by the three coastal States will be included in the provisional agenda of the twenty-fourth session of the Commission to be held in New York from 10 August to 11 September 2009.

Upon completion of the consideration of the submission, the Commission will make recommendations pursuant to Article 76 of the Convention.