Decree of the Minister for Foreign Affairs No. 62 / 1974 Coll.
Decree of the Minister for Foreign Affairs on the Treaty on the Prohibition of the Placement of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction at the Bottom of the Seas and Oceans and in its Underground
Valid
Effective from 18.05.1972
62
DECLARATION
Minister for Foreign Affairs
of 29 March 1974
on the Treaty prohibiting the deposit of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction at the bottom of the seas and oceans and underground thereof
The United Nations General Assembly Resolution of 7 December 1970 adopted a Treaty prohibiting the placing of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction at the bottom of the seas and oceans and underground.
On behalf of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, the Treaty was signed in Moscow, Washington and London on 11 February 1971.
The Treaty was approved on 8 October 1971 by the Federal Assembly of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic and the President of the Republic ratified it. The instruments of ratification were deposited with the depositories of the Treaty, the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the United Kingdom, on 11 January 1972.
The Treaty entered into force on the basis of its Article The provisions of paragraph 3, on 18 May 1972 and that date, also entered into force for the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic.
The Czech translation of the Treaty is announced simultaneously.
Minister:
Ing. Chupek v. r.
TREATY
prohibiting the placing at the bottom of the seas and oceans and its underground of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction
Contracting States to this Treaty,
recognising the common interest of humanity in the progress of exploration and exploitation of the bottom of seas and oceans for peaceful purposes,
Considering that the prevention of nuclear arms racing at the bottom of the seas and oceans serves the interests of preserving world peace, reduces international tensions and strengthens friendly relations between states,
convinced that this Treaty is a step towards the elimination of the bottom of the seas and oceans, as well as its underground, from arms racing,
convinced that this Treaty is a step towards a general and full disarmament treaty under strict and effective international control and determined to continue negotiations for that purpose,
convinced that this Treaty will contribute to the achievement of the objectives and principles of the United Nations Charter in a manner compatible with the principles of international law and which does not infringe the freedom of the free sea;
agree on the following:
1. The Contracting States of this Treaty undertake not to install and position at the bottom of the seas and oceans, as well as in the sub-soil, outside the external boundary of the seabed zone as defined in Article II, any nuclear weapon or any other type of weapons of mass destruction, as well as structures, launchers and any other objects specially designed for the storage, testing or use of such weapons.
2. The obligations contained in paragraph 1 of this Article shall also apply to the seabed zone referred to in the same paragraph, except that, within the limits of such a seabed zone, those obligations shall not apply to either the coastal State or the seabed under its coastal waters.
3. The Contracting States of this Treaty undertake not to assist, support and encourage any other State to carry out the activity referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article and not to participate in any other activity.
For the purposes of this Treaty, the external borders of the seabed zone referred to in Article I coincides with the 12-mile external boundary of the zone referred to in Part II of the Convention on Coastal Waters and the adjacent zone signed on 29 April 1958 in Geneva and will be measured in accordance with the provisions of Section II, Part I of this Convention and in accordance with international law.
1. Each Contracting State of this Treaty shall, in order to achieve the objectives and to comply with the provisions of this Treaty, have the right to control the activities of other Contracting States of this Treaty at the bottom of the seas and oceans, as well as in its subareas outside the zone referred to in Article I, provided that such observations do not interfere with such activities.
2. If, after such observation, reasonable doubts remain as to the fulfilment of the obligations entered into under this Treaty, the Contracting State of this Treaty, which has these doubts, shall consult the Contracting State responsible for the activity giving rise to those doubts in order to eliminate them. If doubts remain, the Contracting State which has these doubts shall inform the other Contracting States and interested parties of any further control measures that may be agreed upon, including the relevant inspection of the premises, buildings, installations and other facilities which can reasonably be expected to be of the type referred to in Article I. Such consultations and such cooperation shall have the right to participate in the Contracting States in the field of such activity, including any coastal State and any other party to the Treaty who so requests. Upon completion of the further control measures, the Contracting State which initiated those measures shall circulate the relevant report to the other Contracting States.
3. If it is not possible to identify the State responsible for the activity giving rise to reasonable doubts by observing the object, construction, installation or other equipment, the Contracting State having these doubts shall inform and consult the Contracting States in the field of such activity as well as any other Contracting State. The Contracting State shall consult and cooperate with other Contracting States, as provided for in paragraph 2 of this Article, if these questions are found to be responsible for such activities. If it is not possible to identify the State responsible for such an activity by means of these queries, the query State may take further control measures, including inspection, inviting the States concerned to participate in such an activity, including any coastal State, as well as any other Contracting State wishing to cooperate.
4. If the consultations and cooperation provided for in paragraphs 2 and 3 of this Article have not removed doubts regarding that activity and serious doubts remain as to the fulfilment of the obligations undertaken under this Treaty, the Contracting State may, in accordance with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations, refer the matter to the Security Council, which may take action in accordance with the Charter.
5. Control under this Article may be carried out by any Contracting State by its own means or with the full or partial support of any other Contracting State, or through relevant international measures within the United Nations and in accordance with its Charter.
6. Control activities under this Treaty shall not interfere with the activities of other Contracting States and shall be carried out with due regard for rights recognised under international law, including the freedom of the free sea and the rights of coastal States in respect of the exploration and exploitation of their mainland shallows.
Nothing in this Treaty is to be interpreted in such a way as to promote or prejudicate the position of any Contracting State in respect of existing international conventions, including the Convention on Coastal Water and the Zone adjacent to 1958, or the rights or pretension that such a Contracting State may exercise, or the recognition or non-recognition of rights or entitlements exercised by any other State in relation to its coastal waters, including, inter alia, coastal waters and adjacent zones, or in relation to the sea and ocean floor, including land-land shallows.
The participants in this Treaty undertake to continue, in a spirit of goodwill, negotiations on further disarmament measures to prevent the arms race at the bottom of the seas and oceans and underground.
Any Contracting State may propose amendments to this Treaty. For each Contracting State which adopts the amendments, they shall enter into force as soon as they are adopted by a majority of the Contracting States of this Treaty and thereafter for each remaining Contracting State on the date on which they adopt those amendments.
Five years after the entry into force of this Treaty, a Conference of the Contracting States of the Treaty will be organised in Geneva (Switzerland) to assess the effectiveness of this Treaty in order to ensure that the principles of the preamble and the provisions of this Treaty are complied with. This review shall take into account any relevant technological developments. The Conference shall decide, in accordance with the views of the majority of the Contracting Parties participating in the Conference, whether and when the next Conference will be convened.
Each Contracting State of this Treaty shall have the right, in the exercise of its sovereign sovereignty, to withdraw from the Treaty if it decides that exceptional circumstances relating to the content of this Treaty have jeopardised the sovereign interests of its country. It shall inform the other Contracting States of its resignation three months in advance of this Treaty and of the United Nations Security Council. Such a communication shall contain a statement of exceptional circumstances which the State considers to have jeopardised its sovereign interests.
The provisions of this Treaty shall in no way affect the obligations assumed by the Contracting States of this Treaty under international agreements on the establishment of nuclear-free zones.
1. This Treaty shall be open for signature by all States. Any State which does not sign this Treaty before its entry into force pursuant to paragraph 3 of this Article may accede at any time.
2. This Treaty is subject to ratification by the States that signed it. The instruments of ratification and accession shall be deposited with the governments of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America, which shall be designated as depository governments.
3. This Treaty shall enter into force on the date of deposit of the instruments of ratification by 22 governments, including those designated as depository governments of this Treaty.
4. For States whose instruments of ratification or accession will be deposited after the entry into force of this Treaty, the Treaty shall enter into force on the date on which their instruments of ratification or accession are deposited.
5. The depository governments shall immediately inform the governments of all signatory and acceding States of the date of each signature, the date of deposit of each instrument of ratification or accession, the date of entry into force of this Treaty, as well as other communications they receive.
6. This Treaty shall be registered by depository governments in accordance with Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nations.
This Treaty, whose Russian, English, French, Spanish and Chinese texts are equally authentic, will be deposited in the archives of depository governments. The duly certified copies of this Treaty shall be transmitted by the depository governments to the governments of all States which have signed or acceded to the Treaty.
They have signed this Treaty to prove the undersigned who have been duly empowered to do so.
Given in triplicate in the cities of Moscow, London and Washington on the eleventh February of the year one thousand and ninety-seven the first.
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Regulation Information
| Citation | Decree of the Minister for Foreign Affairs No. 62 / 1974 Coll., on the Treaty on the Prohibition of the Placing of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction at the Bottom of the Seas and Oceans and in its Underground |
|---|---|
| Regulation Type | - |
| Author | - |
| Collection | Code of Laws |
| Date of Promulgation | 21.06.1974 |
|---|---|
| Effective from | 18.05.1972 |
| Effective until | - |
| Status | Valid |
The regulation text is for informational purposes only.
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