[Senate Treaty Document 107-10]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
107th Congress Treaty Doc.
SENATE
2d Session 107-10
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AGREEMENT WITH RUSSIAN FEDERATION CONCERNING POLAR BEAR POPULATION
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MESSAGE
from
THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
transmitting
AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION ON THE CONSERVATION AND
MANAGEMENT OF THE ALASKA-CHUKOTKA POLAR BEAR POPULATION DONE AT
WASHINGTON ON OCTOBER 16, 2000
July 11, 2002.--Agreement was read the first time, and together with
the accompanying papers, referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
and ordered to be printed for the use of the Senate
__________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
99-118 WASHINGTON : 2002
LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL
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The White House, July 11, 2002.
To the Senate of the United States:
With a view to receiving the advice and consent of the
Senate to ratification, I transmit herewith the Agreement
between the Government of the United States of America and the
Government of the Russian Federation on the Conservation and
Management of the Alaska-Chukotka Polar Bear Population done at
Washington on October 16, 2000 (the ``U.S.-Russia Agreement'').
I also transmit, for the information of the Senate, the report
of the Department of State with respect to that Agreement.
The U.S.-Russia Agreement provides legal protections for
this population of polar bears in addition to those found in
the Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears done at Oslo,
November 13, 1973 (the ``1973 Agreement''), which was a
significant, early step in the international conservation of
polar bears. The 1973 Agreement is a multilateral treaty to
which the United States and Russia are parties. (The other
parties are Norway, Canada, and Denmark.) The 1973 Agreement
provides authority for the maintenance of a subsistence harvest
of polar bears and provides for habitat conservation.
The proposed U.S.-Russia Agreement, which would operate as
a free-standing treaty separate from the 1973 Agreement, is the
culmination of a 8-year effort. The U.S.-Russia Agreement
builds on the 1973 Agreement to establish a common legal,
scientific, and administrative frame work for the conservation
and management of the Alaska-Chukotka polar bear population,
which is shared by the United States and the Russian
Federation. For example, the U.S.-Russia Agreement provides a
definition of ``sustainable harvest'' that will help the United
States and Russia to implement polar bear conservation measures
while safeguarding the interests of native people. In addition,
the U.S.-Russia Agreement establishes the U.S.-Russia Polar
Bear Commission, which would function as the bilateral managing
authority to make scientific determinations, establish taking
limits, and carry out other responsibilities under the terms of
the U.S.-Russia Agreement. The proposed U.S.-Russia Agreement
would strengthen the conservation of our shared polar bear
population through a coordinated sustainable harvest management
program.
Early ratification of the U.S.-Russia Agreement by the
United States will reinforce our leadership role in
international conservation of marine mammals and will encourage
similar conservation action by other countries. I recommend
that the Senate give early and favorable consideration to this
Agreement and give its advice and consent to ratification.
George W. Bush.
LETTER OF SUBMITTAL
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Department of State,
Washington, June 5, 2002.
The President,
The White House.
The President: I have the honor to submit to you, with a
view to its transmittal to the Senate for advice and consent to
ratification, the Agreement between the Government of the
United States of America and the Government of the Russian
Federation on the Conservation and Management of the Alaska-
Chukotka Polar Bear Population done at Washington on October
16, 2000 (the ``U.S.-Russia Agreement'').
The U.S.-Russia Agreement is designed to afford protections
to this polar bear population in addition to those provided by
the multilateral Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears
done at Oslo, November 15, 1973, (the ``1973 Agreement''), an
agreement to which the United States and Russia are parties.
(The other parties are Norway, Canada and Denmark.) The U.S.-
Russia Agreement will establish a common legal, scientific and
administrative framework for the conservation and management of
the Alaska-Chukotka polar bear population, which is shared by
the United States and the Russian Federation. Unified and
binding protection is needed to ensure that the taking of polar
bears by native people in Alaska and the Chukotka region and
other activities do not adversely affect this polar bear
population.
The 1973 Agreement allows the taking of polar bears for
subsistence purposes by native people, as does our domestic
legislation--the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA)--in
respect to Alaska natives. The U.S.-Russia Agreement advances
the 1973 Agreement in several ways. For example, it provides a
definition of ``sustainable harvest'' that will help the United
States and Russia to implement polar bear conservation
measures. In addition, the U.S.-Russia Agreement establishes
the ``U.S.-Russia Polar Bear Commission,'' which would function
as the bilateral managing authority to make scientific
determinations, establish harvest limits and carry out other
responsibilities under the terms of the bilateral agreement.
The Agreement would strengthen the capability of our countries
to implement coordinated conservation measures for our shared
polar bear population.
The United States would implement habitat components of the
proposed U.S.-Russia Agreement through existing provisions of
the Marine Mammal Protection Act and other Federal statutes.
Although the U.S.-Russia Agreement is consistent with current
practice, some legislative amendments and new authorities will
be necessary to ensure its implementation. We are working with
other interested federal agencies to identify appropriate
legislation that will be submitted separately to Congress.
The proposed U.S.-Russia Agreement will enter into force 30
days after the date on which the United States and Russia have
exchanged written notification through diplomatic channels that
they have completed their respective domestic legal procedures
necessary to bring the U.S.-Russia Agreement into force. The
United States will present the U.S. instrument of ratification,
but will do so only after the necessary legislation is in
place.
Enclosed for the information of the Senate is an article-
by-article analysis of the U.S.-Russia Agreement.
The Department of Interior concurs in my recommendation
that the U.S.-Russia Agreement be submitted to the Senate for
advice and consent to its ratification.
I recommend that the U.S.-Russia Agreement be transmitted
to the Senate for its early and favorable consideration, and
for advice and consent to its ratification.
Respectfully submitted,
Colin L. Powell.
Enclosure: As stated.