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--------------------- 069266
O 022341Z NOV 76
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO AMEMBASSY OTTAWA IMMEDIATE
INFO AMCONSUL TORONTO IMMEDIATE
AMCONSUL VANCOUVER IMMEDIATE
AMCONSUL MONTREAL IMMEDIATE
AMCONSUL CALGARY IMMEDIATE
AMCONSUL HALIFAX IMMEDIATE
AMCONSUL WINNIPEG IMMEDIATE
AMCONSUL QUEBEC IMMEDIATE
UNCLAS STATE 269995
E.O. 11652: N/A
TAGS: PBOR, PLOS, CA
SUBJECT: PUBLICATION AND ANNOUNCEMENT OF CANADIAN AND US
MARITIME BOUNDARIES
1. FOLLOWING IS PRESS STATEMENT APPROVED FOR RELEASE
NOVEMBER 3 AND SUPPLEMENTARY PRESS GUIDANCE FOR USE ON IF-
ASKED BASIS. POSTS MAY DRAW ON BOTH TO RESPOND TO QUERIES.
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2. PRESS RELEASE. MARITIME BOUNDARIES BETWEEN THE US AND
CANADA.
ON NOVEMBER 1, CANADA PUBLISHED AN ORDER GIVING THE 60-DAY
ADVANCE NOTICE REQUIRED BY CANADIAN LAW OF THE 200-MILE
FISHERIES ZONES IT INTENDS TO IMPLEMENT ON JANUARY 1, 1977.
THE ORDER SETS OUT THE LATERAL LIMITS OF THE ZONES ASSERTED
BY CANADA IN THE ATLANTIC AND PACIFIC OCEANS, INCLUDING
AREAS OFF THE COASTS OF THE UNITED STATES.
THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA HAVE HAD MARITIME BOUNDARY AND
RELATED RESOURCE QUESTIONS UNDER NEGOTIATION FOR A NUMBER OF
MONTHS, BUT WE HAVE NOT YET REACHED AGREEMENT ON OUR CONTI-
NENTAL SHELF OR FISHERIES ZONE BOUNDARIES. THUS THE UNITED
STATES DOES NOT ACCEPT ALL OF THE LIMITS PUBLISHED BY
CANADA.
IN VIEW OF THE CANADIAN PUBLICATION, THE DEPARTMENT OF
STATE HAS SENT TODAY TO THE "FEDERAL REGISTER" FOR PUBLI-
CATION THE COORDINATES OF THE BOUNDARIES OF THE CONTI-
NENTAL SHELF AND FISHERIES JURISDICTION ASSERTED BY THE
UNITED STATES IN THE AREAS OFF THE COASTS OF THE UNITED
STATES AND CANADA. IN A NUMBER OF AREAS, THESE DO NOT
CORRESPOND TO THE COORDINATES PUBLISHED BY CANADA.
THE TWO GOVERNMENTS ARE THUS TAKING STEPS TO ENSURE THAT
THEIR ASSERTIONS OF JURISDICTION WILL NOT PREJUDICE THE
CLAIMS OR INTERESTS OF EITHER PARTY OR ADVERSELY AFFECT
OUR ONGOING NEGOTIATIONS. TO THIS END, THE
CANADIAN ORDER AND THE UNITED STATES "FEDERAL REGISTER"
NOTICE EACH MAKE CLEAR THAT THESE ASSERTIONS OF JURIS-
DICTION ARE WITHOUT PREJEDICE TO THE NEGOTIATION OF ANY
MARITIME BOUNDARY BETWEEN TWO COUNTRIES.
THE TWO GOVERNMENTS RECOGNIZE THE NEED TO CONTINUE SERIOUS
AND ACTIVE NEGOTIATIONS TOWARD A MUTUALLY ACCEPTABLE
BOUNDARY SETTLEMENT MINDFUL THAT THE TWO GOVERNMENTS WILL
NEED TO CONSIDER THIRD PARTY PROCEDURES IF THE NEGO-
TIATIONS DO NOT MAKE PROGRESS. THE TWO GOVERNMENTS ARE
ALSO CONTINUING NEGOTIATION OF MUTUALLY ACCEPTABLE LONG
TERM ARRANGEMENTS IN RESPECT OF LIVING AND NON-LIVING RE-
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SOURCES. IN THE MEANTIME, THEY ARE ALSO NEGOTIATING
MUTUALLY ACCEPTABLE INTERIM FISHERIES ARRANGEMENTS. BOTH
COUNTRIES WILL ALSO AVOID STEPS FOR THE TIME-BEING RE-
LATING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF NON-LIVING RESOURCES IN THE
BOUNDARY AREAS CONCERNED WHICH COULD PREJUDICE NEGOTIATION
OF A BOUNDARY SETTLEMENT.
THE UNITED STATES WILL CONTINUE NEGOTIATION OF THESE
OFFSHORE ISSUES IN CONFIDENCE THAT THE IMPORTANT
NATIONAL INTEREST OF EACH COUNTRY IN THE
COOPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR OFFSHORE RESOURCES WILL
LEAD THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA TO A MUTUALLY AGREEABLE
AND BENEFICIAL RESOLUTION OF THESE QUESTIONS.
3. SUPPLEMENTARY PRESS GUIDANCE. (FOR USE IF-ASKED ONLY.)
US-CANADIAN MARINE BOUNDARIES.
QUESTION: WHERE ARE THE AREAS WHERE THE TWO COUNTRIES DIS-
AGREE OVER THEIR BOUNDARIES?
ANSWER: AGREEMENT HAS NOT BEEN REACHED ON ANY OF THE
MARITIME BOUNDARIES IN THE FOUR AREAS OFF THE COASTS OF
THE US AND CANADA. THESE INCLUDE TWO AREAS IN THE PACIFIC,
OFF THE JUAN DE FUCA STRAITS BETWEEN WASHINGTON STATE AND
BRITISH COLUMBIA, AND OFF DIXON ENTRANCE BETWEEN ALASKA
AND BRITISH COLUMBIA; THE BOUNDARY AREA IN THE BEAUFORT
SEA BETWEEN ALASKA AND CANADA'S YUKON TERRITORY; AND THE
AREA OF THE GULF OF MAINE BETWEEN MAINE AND NOVA SCOTIA.
PERHAPS THE MOST DIFFICULT ISSUE IS THE GULF OF MAINE WHERE
THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT FISHING GROUNDS AND POSSIBLE
HYDROCARBON POTENTIAL. OUR NEGOTIATIONS HAVE BEEN DEALING
WITH ALL FOUR AREAS.
QUESTION: WHAT ARE THE BOUNDARY AREAS THAT BOTH SIDES
CLAIM?
ANSWER: IN THE GULF OF MAINE, CANADA HAS ASSERTED AN
EQUIDISTANCE LINE WHICH CUTS ACROSS THE NORTHERN THIRD OF
THE GEORGES BANK. THE US TAKES THE POSITION THAT THE
MARINE BOUNDARY SHOULD FOLLOW THE NORTHEAST CHANNEL
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WHICH IS THE NORTHERN LIMIT OF GEORGES BANK. THUS THE
NORTHERN THIRD OF THE BANK IS CLAIMED BY BOTH SIDES. IN THE
BEAUFORT SEA, CANADA DID NOT DELIMIT A FISHING ZONE IN ITS
NOVEMBER 1 ORDER-IN-COUNCIL BUT THE DIFFERENCE ALREADY
EXISTED THERE AS WELL. CANADA ASSERTS JURISDICITON AS THE
141ST PARALLEL WHILE THE U.S. CLAIMS A LINE SOMEWHAT TO
THE EAST. THIS LEAVES A WEDGE-SHAPED AREA UNDER NEGOTIATION
THE OVERLAP IN U.S. AND CANADIAN POSITIONS OFF THE DIXON
ENTRANCE RESULTS FROM THE LONGSTANDING DIFFERENCE IN VIEW
ABOUT THE LOCATION OF THE BOUNDARY WITHIN THE ENTRANCE.
IN THE AREA OFF THE STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA, THERE APPEARS
TO BE AGREEMENT ON APPLYING THE PRINCIPLE OF EQUIDISTANCE,
WITH ONLY SLIGHT DIFFERENCES RELATING TO THE TECHNICAL
APPLICATION OF THE PRINCIPLE.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT OUR DISCUSSIONS
HAVE BEEN CONSIDERING SETTLEMENT OF LIVING AND
NON-LIVING RESOURCE QUESTIONS ALONG WITH THE QUESTION OF
BOUNDARIES. BOTH SIDES HAVE AGREED THAT THE TWO SUBJECTS
MUST BE CONSIDERED TOGETHER. IF RESOURCE QUESTIONS CAN BE
ADEQUATELY SETTLED, THE QUESTION OF BOUNDARIES WILL CERTAIN-
LY BE EASIER TO RESOLVE.
QUESTION: THE DEPARTMENT'S PRESS STATEMENT MENTIONS INTERIM
FISHERIES ARRANGEMENTS. WHAT DO THE U.S. AND CANADA
HAVE IN MIND?
ANSWER: WHEN SECRETARY KISSINGER AND CANADIAN EXTERNAL
AFFAIRS MINISTER JAMIESON MET ON OCTOBER 15, THEY RECOG-
NIZED THAT THE TWO COUNTRIES MAY NOT BE ABLE TO CONCLUDE
PERMANENT BOUNDARY AND RESOURCE AGREEMENTS BEFORE CANADA
AND THE U.S. EXTEND OUR 200-MILE FISHERY ZONES EARLY IN
1977. THEREFORE, THEY AGREED THAT WE WOULD TRY TO REACH
INTERIM ARRANGEMENTS THAT WOULD FACILITATE THE IMPLEMENTA-
TION OF OUR EXTENDED FISHING ZONES AND ENABLE THE LONGER
TERM NEGOTIATIONS TO MOVE AHEAD AS RAPIDLY AS POSSI-
BLE. WITHOUT GETTING INTO THE DETAILS OF OUR NEGOTIATIONS,
I CAN SAY THAT WE ARE CONSIDERING FOR AN INTERIM
ARRANGEMENT SUCH THINGS AS PROTECTION OF FISHERY RESOURCES,
RIGHTS OF THE FISHERMEN OF BOTH COUNTRIES, AND ARRANGE-
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MENTS FOR DEALING WITH THIRD COUNTRIES, IN THOSE AREAS
THAT LIE BETWEEN THE LINES ASSERTED BY THE TWO COUNTRIES.
EACH COUNTRY IS ALSO INTERESTED IN PROTECTING THE ESTAB-
LISHED FISHERIES OF ITS NATIONALS OFF THE COASTS OF THE
OTHER SUCH AS IS NOW DONE UNDER THE RECIPROCAL FISHING
AGREEMENT WE HAVE WITH CANADA COVERING FISHING WITHIN THE
EXISTING 12-MILE FISHERIES LIMITS.
QUESTION: THE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT HAS SCHEDULED A LEASE
SALE IN GEORGES BANK FOR EARLY NEXT YEAR. WILL THIS
HAVE TO BE HELD UP IF THE BOUNDARY IS STILL NOT SETTLED?
ANSWER: AS OUR PRESS STATEMENT SAYS, THE TWO COUNTRIES
WILL FOR THE TIME BEING AVOID TAKING STEPS IN THE BOUNDARY
AREAS WHICH COULD PREJUDICE OUR NEGOTIATIONS. THE U.S.
WILL NOT LEASE TRACTS FOR DRILLING BETWEEN THE U.S. AND
CANADIAN LINES IN THE GULF OF MAINE FOR AN INTERIM PERIOD
WHILE NEGOTIATIONS PROCEED. THE BULK OF THE AREA IDENTI-
FIED BY INTERIOR FOR PROPOSED LEASING LIES OUTSIDE THIS
DISPUTED ZONE AND WILL NOT BE AFFECTED. ROBINSON
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