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Radioactive Waste Disposal at Sea: Public Ideas ... - IMO

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Interest-Based Regime Analysis 99<br />

situ<strong>at</strong>ion and serve as evidence of the utility of intern<strong>at</strong>ional co-oper<strong>at</strong>ion<br />

to protect the oceans. Proposals with regard to the control of ocean dumping<br />

are a specific step for which prepar<strong>at</strong>ion should go forward with<br />

urgency.” (A/CONF.48/IWGMP.I/5, p. 13) A global ocean dumping convention<br />

appeared to be within reach in the immedi<strong>at</strong>e future.<br />

The Ottawa Session<br />

The second session of the IWGMP took place in Ottawa on November<br />

8–12, 1971. It was <strong>at</strong>tended by represent<strong>at</strong>ives from 41 st<strong>at</strong>es and represent<strong>at</strong>ives<br />

from the Stockholm secretari<strong>at</strong>, GESAMP, the FAO, UNESCO<br />

and its IOC, the WHO, UNITAR, the WMO, IMCO, and the IAEA. 27 In<br />

general discussion, the IWGMP “reaffirmed the importance of urgent and<br />

effective action against marine pollution, especially by dumping” (“Report<br />

of the Intergovernmental Working Group on Marine Pollution on Its<br />

Second Session,”A/CONF.48/IWGMP.II/5 (November 22, 1971), p. 7)<br />

Although recent progress toward regional institution building was welcomed<br />

by the IWGMP (the Oslo Convention, officially the Convention for<br />

the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping from Ships and Aircraft,<br />

had been drafted October 22, 1971), many st<strong>at</strong>es were in agreement th<strong>at</strong><br />

action <strong>at</strong> a global level was necessary in order to link together and complement<br />

regional arrangements. Moreover, several developing countries<br />

thought th<strong>at</strong> the Oslo Convention should not serve as a model for the global<br />

dumping convention. Instead, it was crucial th<strong>at</strong> a convention not have<br />

loopholes th<strong>at</strong> would allow developed countries to dump substances th<strong>at</strong><br />

under no circumstances should be dumped. This point was repe<strong>at</strong>ed during<br />

the final negoti<strong>at</strong>ions <strong>at</strong> the London Conference, particularly by the developing<br />

countries (memo, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Denmark, December<br />

6, 1972, p. 3). But a global convention should, on the other hand, not hinder<br />

the industrializ<strong>at</strong>ion of developing countries. Brazil had made this clear<br />

<strong>at</strong> the first session. 28 In addition, some of the smaller Western European<br />

countries, including the Netherlands and Finland, were concerned about<br />

the risk of excessively vague rules of exemption from the lists of substances<br />

banned by a global convention (memo, Ministry of Foreign Affairs,<br />

Denmark, December 6, 1972, p. 3). To th<strong>at</strong> end, a drafting group set up on<br />

an open-ended basis produced a number of provisional articles.<br />

Several draft articles took a firmer prohibitory and restrictive stance than<br />

the first U.S. draft convention. 29 Moreover, although not yet specified, a

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