Treaty on the Prohibition of the Emplacement of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction on the Seabed and the Ocean Floor and in the Subsoil thereof in United States

Treaty on the Prohibition of the Emplacement of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction on the Seabed and the Ocean Floor and in the Subsoil thereof

The States Parties to this Treaty,

Recognizing the common interest of mankind in the progress

of the exploration and use of the seabed and the ocean floor for

peaceful purposes,

Considering that the prevention of a nuclear arms race on

the seabed and the ocean floor serves the interests of maintaining

world peace, reduces international tensions and strengthens friendly

relations among States,

Convinced that this Treaty constitutes a step towards the

exclusion of the seabed, the ocean floor and the subsoil thereof

from the arms race,

Convinced that this Treaty constitutes a step towards a treaty

on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective

international control, and determined to continue negotiations to

this end,

Convinced that this Treaty will further the purposes and

Principles of the Charter of the United Nations in a manner

consistent with the principles of international law and without

infringing the freedoms of the high seas,

Have agreed as follows:

ARTICLE I

1. The States Parties to this Treaty undertake not to emplant
or emplace on the seabed and the ocean floor and in the subsoil
thereof beyond the outer limit of a seabed zone, as defined in
article II, any nuclear weapons or any other types of weapons of
mass destruction as well as structures, launching installations or
any other facilities specifically designed for storing, testing or
using such weapons.

2. The undertakings of E)aragraph 1 of this article shall
also apply to the seabed zone referred to in the same paragraph,
except that within such seabed zone, they shall not apply either
to the coastal State or to the seabed beneath its territorial
waters.

3. The States Parties to this Treaty undertake not to assist,
encourage or induce any State to carry out activities referred to
in paragraph 1 of this article and not to -participate in any other
way in such actions.

ARTICLE II

For the purpose of this Treaty, the outer limit of the seabed
zone referred to in article I shall be coterminous with the
twelve-mile outer limit of the zone referred to in part II of the
Convention on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone, signed
at Geneva on April 29, 1958 and shall be measured in accordance
with the provisions of part I, section II, of that Convention and
in accordance with international law.

ARTICLE III

1. In order to promote the objectives of and insure
compliance with the provisions of this Treaty, each State Party
to the Treaty shall have the right to verify through observation
the activities of other States Parties to the Treaty on the
seabed and the ocean floor and in the subsoil thereof beyond
the zone referred to in article 1, provided that observation
does not interfere with such activities.

2. If after such observation reasonable doubts remain
concerning the fulfillment of the obligations assumed under the
Treaty, the State Party having such doubts and the State Party
that is responsible for the activities giving rise to the doubts
shall consult with a view to removing the doubts. If the doubts
persist, the State Party having such doubts shall notify the other
States Parties, and the Parties concerned shall cooperate on
such further procedures for verification as may be agreed,
including appropriate inspection of objects, structures,
installations or other facilities that reasonably may be expected
to be of a kind described in article I. The Parties in the
region of the activities, including any coastal State, and any
other Party so requesting, shall be entitled to participate in
such consultation and cooperation. After completion of the
further procedures for verification, an appropriate report shall
be circulated to other Parties by the Party that initiated such
procedures.

3. If the State responsible for the activities giving
rise to the reasonable doubts is not identifiable by observation
of the object, structure, installation or other facility, the
State Party having such doubts shall notify and make appropriate
inquiries of States Parties in the region of the activities and
of any other State Party. If it is ascertained through these
inquiries that a particular State Party is responsible for the
activities, that State Party shall consult and cooperate with other Parties as provided in paragraph 2 of this article. If the identity of the State responsible for the activities cannot be ascertained through these inquiries, then further verification procedures, including inspection, may be undertaken by the inquiring State Party, which shall invite the participation of the Parties in the region of the activities, including any coastal State, and of any other Party desiring to cooperate.

4. If consultation and cooperation pursuant to paragraphs 2
and 3 of this article have not removed the doubts concerning the
activities and there remains a serious question concerning
fulfillment of the obligations assumed under this Treaty, a State
Party may, in accordance with the provisions of the Charter of
the United Nations, refer the matter to the Security Council,
which may take action in accordance with the Charter.

5. Verification pursuant to this article may be undertaken
by any State Party using its own means, or with the full or
partial assistance of any other State Party, or through appropriate
international procedures within the framework of the United
Nations and in accordance with its Charter.

6. Verification activities pursuant to this Treaty shall
not interfere with activities of other States Parties and shall
be conducted with due regard for rights recognized under
international law, including the freedoms of the high seas and
the rights of coastal States with respect to the exploration and
exploitation of their continental shelves.

ARTICLE IV

Nothing in this Treaty shall be interpreted as supporting or
prejudicing the position of any State Party with respect to existing international conventions, including the 1958 Convention on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone, or with respect to rights or claims which such State Party may assert, or with respect to recognition or non-recognition of rights or claims asserted by any
other State, related to waters off its coasts, including, inter alia,
territorial seas and contiguous zones, or to the seabed and the
ocean floor, including continental shelves.

ARTICLE V

The Parties to this Treaty undertake to continue negotiations
in good faith concerning further measures in the field of disarmament
for the prevention of an arms race on the seabed, the ocean floor
and the subsoil thereof.

ARTICLE VI

Any State Party may propose amendments to this Treaty. Amend-
ments shall enter into force for each State Party accepting the
amendments udon their acceptance by a majority of the States Parties
to the Treaty and, thereafter, for each remaining State Party
on the date of acceptance by it.

ARTICLE VII

Five years after the entry into force of this Treaty, a
conference of Parties to the Treaty shall be held at Geneva,
Switzerland, in order to review the operation of this Treaty with
a view to assuring that the purposes of the preamble and the
provisions of the Treaty are being realized. Such review shall
take into account any relevant technological developments. The
review conference shall determine, in accordance with the views of a
majority of those Parties attending, whether and when an additional
review conference shall be convened.

ARTICLE VIII

Each State Party to this Treaty shall in exercising its
national sovereignty have the right to withdraw from this Treaty
if it decides that extraordinary events related to the subject
matter of this Treaty have jeopardized the supreme interests of
its country. It shall give notice of such withdrawal to all
other States Parties to the Treaty and to the United Nations
Security Council three months in advance. Such notice shall
include a statement of the extraordinary events it considers to
have jeopardized its supreme interests.

ARTICLE IX

The provisions of this Treaty shall in no way affect the
obligations assumed by States Parties to the Treaty under
international instruments establishing zones free from nuclear
weapons.

ARTICLE X

1. This Treaty shall be open for signature to all States.
Any State which does not sign the Treaty before its entry into
force in accordance with paragraph 3 of this article may accede
to it at any time.

2. This Treaty shall be subject to ratification by
signatory States. Instruments of ratification and of accession
shall be deposited with the Governments of the United States of
America, the United Kingdon, of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,
and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, which are hereby
designated the Depositary Governments.

3. This Treaty shall enter into force after the deposit of
instruments of ratification by twenty-two Governments, including
the Governments designated as Depositary Governments of this Treaty.

4. For States whose instruments of ratification or accession
are deposited after the entry into force of this Treaty, it shall
enter into force on the date of the deposit of their instruments
of ratification or accession.

5. The Depositary Governments shall promptly inform the
Governments of all signatory and acceding States of the date of
each signature, of the date of deposit of each instrument of
ratification or of accession, of the date of the entry into force
of this Treaty, and of the receipt of other notices.

6. This Treaty shall be registered by the Depositary
Governments pursuant to Article 102 of the Charter of the United
Nations.

ARTICLE XI

This Treaty, the English, Russian, French, SiDanish and Chinese texts of which are equally authentic, shall be deposited in the archives of the Depositary Governments. Duly certified copies of this Treaty shall be transmitted by the Depositary Governments to the Governments of the States signatory and acceding thereto.