Bangladesh made its submission to the United Nations in New York on Wednesday on the country's legitimate authority over 450 nautical miles of marine area from its coastline in the Bay of Bengal, said an official of the foreign affairs ministry.
Foreign affairs minister Dipu Moni, who is also the 'agent' authorized to represent Bangladesh in the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, presented the country's 'position paper' for demarcating the outer limits of the country's continental shelf. She made the presentation at the twenty-eighth session of the UNCLCS at the UN Headquarters in New York in pursuance of the submission of Bangladesh that was lodged with the UN on February 25 for delineation of its outer continental shelf in the Bay of Bengal under the provisions of Article 76 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982, according to a press release of the foreign ministry.
The presentation was aimed at enlightening the UNCLCS commissioners of the critical legal and technical aspects of Bangladesh's right to the outer continental shelf, said the ministry.
The area, for which Bangladesh has submitted the data, ranges from 390-460 nautical miles southwards from the coastline of Bangladesh.
The ministry hoped that the commission, after examination of the data submitted by Bangladesh, would give recommendations in Bangladesh's favour.
Additional foreign secretary M Khurshed Alam, who is 'deputy agent' for the country, assisted the minister in the proceedings.
Bangladesh's permanent representative to the UN, AK Abdul Momen, and other external and local experts associated with the submission were present during the presentation.
The UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf was established under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
On February 2 the Cabinet, at a meeting, approved the 'position paper' prepared by the UNCLOS wing of the foreign ministry. The UN Convention allows a country to enjoy its rights to fishing and exploring and extracting other marine resources in 12-24 nautical miles of territorial sea from its coastline, 200 nautical miles of exclusive economic zone and a maximum of 350 nautical miles of continental shelf from the baseline.
Bangladesh, the 53rd country in the world to submit its claim, submitted its proposal five months ahead of the schedule.
Bangladesh has, however, long-standing disputes with India and Myanmar on the issue of the 'starting point' and on how to mark the coastline to draw its marine boundary, with apparently overlapping claims of the three neighbouring countries due to the funnel-like shape of the Bay of Bengal.
India and Myanmar have already submitted their positions papers on their claims to the outer limits of the continental shelf in the Bay of Bengal.
However, the UNCLOS is yet to appoint two sub-commissions to resolve the disputes after Bangladesh registered its objections to the claims of India and Myanmar.
The UN Convention on Law of the Sea spelt out a legal framework for the oceans by creating maritime zones like the territorial sea, the exclusive economic zone and a country's share of the continental shelf.
Under the stipulations of the UN Convention, no claims submitted by a country should be taken into final consideration before settling the objections raised by a neighbouring country which might have overlapping claims.
The UNCLCS is expected to resolve Bangladesh's claim on the continental shelf of the Bay of Bengal in five years, the official said.
A well-defined legal maritime boundary of Bangladesh would enable it to undertake systematic programmes for exploiting and utilising its resources in the Bay, said experts.
Source : New Age
