大陆架外部界限之划定:国内程序与大陆架界限委员会“建议”的联系与冲突

The Establishment of the Outer Limits of the Continental Shelf:Connections and Contradictions between the National Procedures and the Recommendations of the CLCS

根据《联合国海洋法公约》,大陆架界限委员会行使对沿海国的外大陆架划界案作出"建议"的职能。但是,大陆架的外部界限最终是由沿海国通过国内程序确定。因此,在实践中,如何处理沿海国确定大陆架外部界限的国内程序和大陆架界限委员会的"建议"的关系值得关注。特别是,沿海国通过国内程序"超出"大陆架界限委员会的"建议"进行划界是否有效,在《联合国海洋法公约》中没有相应的判断机制。根据《联合国海洋法公约》及其附件二的规定,大陆架界限委员会的"建议"不应具有强制的法律拘束力。沿海国通过国内程序划定的大陆架外部界限的有效性应从《联合国海洋法公约》的整体规定及其基本精神出发进行判断。

Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf(CLCS)makes the recommendations related to the outer limits of continental shelf based on the information submitted by the Coastal States.However,the outer limits of the continental shelf should be established by the Coastal States ultimately.Thus,how to handle the relations between national procedures and recommendations is one of the key issues in practice.Specifically,there is no judging mechanism under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to examine the legal effect of the national procedures which may be beyond the recommendations.While in accordance with the Annex II to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,the recommendations cannot directly bind the Coastal States.The legal effect of the national procedures should be based on the wholeness and the spirit of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.