Pentagon: Sea Treaty in U.S. Interests

[unhappycamper]

Pentagon: Sea Treaty in U.S. Interests
Military.com | By Bryant Jordan | December 11, 2007

The U.S. is not about to go to war with Canada over the possibility our northern neighbor will bar liquid natural gas tanker ships from passing through Canadian waters to New England -- a restriction that would impose a severe hardship on the region.

Nor is the administration going to invade Australia, even though our down-under ally demands the right to put an Aussie pilot aboard any ship -- including American -- passing through the Torres Straits running between the island continent and Papua New Guinea.

But with the U.S. facing these prospects the only way to resolve them is by the country signing onto the Law of the Sea Treaty, which 155 countries already have joined, according to Navy Capt. Patrick J. Neher, director of the Navy’s International and Operational Law Office of the Judge Advocate General.

"This is pretty serious stuff," Neher said during an interview with military bloggers Dec. 10. He said Australia is asserting a regulatory right over the waterway improperly, and threatens that any violator is subject to arrest and their ship held.

"Now we're not going to roll the 7th Fleet into Sydney Harbor to compel Australia to roll back their illegal ," he said. "But what we can do if we were party to the is use the dispute resolution process ... and I'm confident we would win."


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,157953,00.html?wh=wh