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

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Interest-Based Regime Analysis 103<br />

fiercely support stringent standards and <strong>at</strong> the same time oppose any hindrances<br />

to their own industrializ<strong>at</strong>ion (memo, Ministry of Foreign Affairs,<br />

Denmark, May 1, 1972, p. 7). Furthermore, it seemed doubtful th<strong>at</strong> the<br />

Stockholm conference, with the particip<strong>at</strong>ion of a considerably larger number<br />

of developing countries and Eastern European st<strong>at</strong>es, would be able to<br />

reach agreement.<br />

The Second London Session<br />

As the Stockholm conference was rapidly approaching, time became scarce.<br />

Once again a session of the IWGMP was called for the purpose of resolving<br />

outstanding issues. This session took place in London on May 30 and<br />

31, 1972. The sole working document was the text drawn up <strong>at</strong> Reykjavik<br />

in April. Seventeen st<strong>at</strong>es sent deleg<strong>at</strong>es; Canada was represented by an<br />

observer. 36 No represent<strong>at</strong>ives from United N<strong>at</strong>ions or other intern<strong>at</strong>ional<br />

organiz<strong>at</strong>ions were present.<br />

The outstanding disagreements were not resolved. However, an agreement<br />

on a proposed new text of the black list th<strong>at</strong> listed high-level radioactive<br />

wastes was reached. In addition, the precise definition of this waste<br />

would be prepared by IAEA. 37 The Stockholm conference was less than two<br />

weeks away, and many st<strong>at</strong>es wished to postpone the conditions of the proposed<br />

convention until after Stockholm. A number of st<strong>at</strong>es stressed the<br />

importance of awaiting the conclusions of the forthcoming conference<br />

before any further meetings were set. Britain announced a plenipotentiary<br />

meeting to sign the convention in l<strong>at</strong>e summer of 1972.<br />

The Stockholm Conference<br />

Popular ecology themes from the September 1968 Biosphere Conference,<br />

tre<strong>at</strong>ed in chapter 4, domin<strong>at</strong>ed the Stockholm conference’s view of n<strong>at</strong>uresociety<br />

rel<strong>at</strong>ionships. But the large number of particip<strong>at</strong>ing st<strong>at</strong>es from<br />

North and South and the <strong>at</strong>tendance of 550 nongovernmental organiz<strong>at</strong>ions<br />

and many individuals representing mass movements and special-interest<br />

groups dram<strong>at</strong>ically distinguished this conference from previous<br />

UN-sponsored environment conferences. Furthermore, the Stockholm conference’s<br />

resolutions and recommend<strong>at</strong>ions urged th<strong>at</strong> concrete intern<strong>at</strong>ional<br />

machinery for environmental protection be established. Thus, the<br />

Stockholm conference was a political conference with “the full rigor of<br />

diplom<strong>at</strong>ic protocol” (Hawkes 1972a, p. 736).

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