    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book I)]
    [May 15, 2007]
    [Pages 583-584]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on the Advancement of United States Maritime Interests
    May 15, 2007

        I am acting to advance U.S. interests in the world's oceans in two
    important ways.
        First, I urge the Senate to act favorably on U.S. accession to the
    United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea during this session of
    Congress. Joining will serve the national security interests of the
    United States, including the maritime mobility of our Armed Forces
    worldwide. It will secure U.S. sovereign rights over extensive marine
    areas, including the valuable natural resources they contain. Accession
    will promote U.S. interests in the environmental health of the oceans.
    And it will give the United States a seat at the table when the rights
    that are vital to our interests are debated and interpreted.
        Second, I have instructed the U.S. delegation to the International
    Maritime Organization (IMO) to submit a proposal for international
    measures that would enhance protection of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine
    National Monument, the area including the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
        Last June, I issued a proclamation establishing the monument, a
    1,200-mile stretch of coral islands, seamounts, banks, and shoals that
    are home to some 7,000 marine species. The United States will propose
    that the IMO designate the entire area as a Particularly Sensitive Sea
    Area (PSSA)--similar to areas such as the Florida Keys, the Great
    Barrier Reef, and the Galapagos Archipelago--which will alert mariners
    to exercise caution in the ecologically important, sensitive, and
    hazardous area they are entering. This proposal, like the Convention on
    the Law of the Sea, will help protect the maritime environment while
    preserving the navigational freedoms essential to the security and
    economy of every nation.

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