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Part Three. Article 7 493Rolling text (A/AC.254/4/Add.1/Rev.6)Eleventh session: 2-28 October 2000“II.Smuggling of migrants by sea“Article 7“Cooperation and mutual assistance“States Parties shall cooperate to the fullest extent possible to prevent and suppressthe smuggling of migrants by sea, in accordance with the international law ofthe sea. 6 ”Notes by the Secretariat4. Paragraph 2 of article 7 was moved to become paragraph 1 of article 7 bis andthe subsequent paragraphs of article 7 bis were renumbered accordingly.5. At its eleventh session, the Ad Hoc Committee considered, finalized and approvedarticle 7, as amended in its title. The last amendment is reflected in the final text of theprotocol, as included in the report of the Ad Hoc Committee (A/55/383, sect. IV, draftresolution, annex III), that was submitted to the General Assembly for adoption pursuantto resolution 54/126 of 17 December 1999.6. It should be noted that the representative of Turkey requested that the report ofthe Ad Hoc Committee on its eleventh session should reflect his country’s understandingthat the references to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 7 in the interpretativenotes concerning article 7 of the protocol neither prejudiced nor affected the positionof Turkey concerning that Convention.B. Approved text adopted by the General Assembly(see resolution 55/25, annex III)II. Smuggling of migrants by seaArticle 7CooperationStates Parties shall cooperate to the fullest extent possible to prevent andsuppress the smuggling of migrants by sea, in accordance with the internationallaw of the sea.6As indicated above, at the sixth session of the Ad Hoc Committee it was decided to use a general reference to internationallaw to include both customary and conventional international law as opposed to listing specific instruments. Notall States were parties to some instruments and a list might be interpreted as excluding any instruments not listed. The wordingwas changed to refer specifically to “the international law of the sea” at the recommendation of the informal consultationsheld during the ninth session (see also the pertinent proposal submitted by the United States, contained in documentA/AC.254/L.195). The informal consultations held during the ninth session also recommended that the United NationsConvention on the Law of the Sea (United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1833, No. 31363) should be mentioned specificallyin the travaux préparatoires.7United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1833, No. 31363.