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US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Pentagon chief LeonPanetta urged the Senate on Wednesday to ratify a UN treaty on thelaw of the sea, arguing it was vital for the country's economic andmilitary interests. President Barack Obama's administration has launched a fresh pushfor approval of the treaty, saying major US industries are losingout on commercial opportunities and Washington's diplomaticleadership is being undermined by the Senate's failure to ratifythe convention. "We are on the sidelines," Clinton told the Senate ForeignRelations Committee. "We believe it is imperative to act now," she said. Both Clinton and Panetta said the treaty was needed to bolster UScredibility as it seeks to counter Beijing's claims in the SouthChina Sea as well as Iran's threats over oil shipping in the Straitof Hormuz. "You have all followed the claims that countries are making in theSouth China Sea. Although we do not have territory there, we havevital interests, particularly in freedom of navigation through thatregion," Clinton said. "I can report from the diplomatic trenches that as a party to theconvention, we would have greater credibility in invoking theconvention's rules and a greater ability to enforce them," shesaid. Panetta agreed, saying the United States, when confronting regimesin Iran or North Korea, often cites international law and demandsthese countries abide by global rules, but Washington's failure toratify the treaty potentially damaged US credibility. "For too long, the US has failed to act on this treaty. For toolong, we have undermined our moral and diplomatic authority" bystaying outside the treaty, he said. The UN convention on maritime rights entered into force in 1994 butthe US Senate has never ratified the treaty, despite support fromsuccessive presidents from both parties. Some conservative Republicans oppose the agreement, arguing itcould undermine US legal authority over oil and gas resources inthe continental shelf. Clinton said arguments against the treaty were based on "ideologyand myth" and that it was telling that oil and mining companies aswell as environmental groups had all endorsed it. The convention would allow the United States to claim sovereigntyover a continental shelf more than 200 nautical miles from shore,an area probably "more than one and one-half times the size ofTexas," she said. The treaty, ratified by 162 countries including China and Russia,offers "the firmest legal foundation upon which to base our globalpresence, on, above, and below the seas," Panetta said. The US military's top officer, General Martin Dempsey, said thetreaty would not hamper operations or intelligence gathering but"would provide us another way to stave off conflict with less riskof escalation." Senator John Kerry, the chairman of the Senate Foreign RelationsCommittee, said he planned to put off a vote on the treaty untilafter presidential and congressional elections in November, toensure a less politically-charged climate for debate. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Wire Rope Electric Hoist Manufacturer , Crane Control Panel, and more. For more , please visit Conductor Rails today!
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