2. Dominican Republic

Transcription

1 18 2. Dominican Republic Act 66-07, 22 May National Congress on behalf of the Republic CONSIDERING that the maritime delimitation of the Dominican Republic should be carried out in accordance with the best interests of the nation and in conformity with the rules governing the international law of the sea and with geomorphologic, terrestrial, marine and underwater features; CONSIDERING that the marine resources and assets of the seabed and its subsoil in themselves constitute a potential for national development that should be enhanced by the Dominican State; CONSIDERING that Act No. 186 of 13 September 1967 on maritime delimitation contains defects related to universally accepted jurisdictional areas which undermine our sovereignty and limit our possibilities of gaining access to marine sources that are vital to economic development; CONSIDERING that the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea is a valid instrument that defines marine areas and their features; CONSIDERING that maritime areas themselves and the riches contained therein are vital sources for national development; CONSIDERING that on various occasions in the past there have been attempts to alienate part of the national territory, in contravention of the principles of the Constitution of the Republic; CONSIDERING that the extension of the territorial sea at the same time implies a need to recalculate the extent of the other marine areas, especially the exclusive economic zone; CONSIDERING that it is necessary to establish institutions and to accept resources to research, quantify, conserve and make rational use of the riches contained within the territorial sea and exclusive economic zone; CONSIDERING that the proposal to assume the status of an archipelagic State, presented to the National Congress by marine expert Carlos Antonio Michelén, has been duly considered and studied by two committees in the Chamber of Deputies and submitted for public discussion, and has also been endorsed by the most qualified international bodies in that field, thereby proving its validity under international law; GIVEN the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea; 1 Transmitted through a note verbale from the Permanent Mission of the Dominican Republic dated 23 October 2007 addressed to the Secretary-General. Original: Spanish.

2 19 GIVEN article 5 of the Constitution of the Republic. HAS ISSUED THE FOLLOWING LAW: Article 1. The Dominican Republic shall hereby be declared an archipelagic State. Article 2. The archipelago of the Dominican Republic is formed by the western part of the island of Santo Domingo, or Hispaniola, and by an extensive array of 150 smaller islands whose names and locations are stated in this Act, a large number of reefs and low-water elevations, the Montecristi Bank, with its centre at Lat N, and Long ; Mouchoir Bank (Banco del Pañuelo), with its centre located at Lat N and Long Lat N and Long W; Silver Bank, with its centre located at Lat N, and Long W; Banco Innominado, with its centre located at and Long W, with its centre located at Lat.; Navidad Bank, with its centre located at Lat N, Long W; Banco del Caballo with its centre located at Lat N and W; the Silver, Navidad, Beata and Alto Velo Straits, and the Beata Ridge adjoining the Barahona peninsula, other natural elements and the waters that connect them. Article 3. The sovereignty of the Dominican Republic, as an archipelagic State, extends to the waters enclosed by the archipelagic baselines drawn, regardless of their depth or distance from the coast, as well as the airspace over the archipelagic waters, and to their bed and subsoil and the living and non-living resources contained therein. Article 4. The waters enclosed by archipelagic baselines shall be called archipelagic waters. Article 5. In accordance with the rules of international law, the Dominican Republic respects the right of innocent passage through its archipelagic waters and superjacent airspace, without prejudice to the right of the Dominican State to designate passage routes and closing lines of its internal waters. Article 6. The following are internal waters under the full sovereignty of the Dominican Republic: the bays of Manzanillo, comprising the coastal area lying between the median line of the mouth of the Massacre River, in Dajabón, and Punta Manzanillo; Rincón, between Cabo Cabrón and Cabo Samaná; Samaná, between Cabo Samaná and Cabo San Rafael; Yuma, between Punta Espada and Punta Aljibe; Andrés, between Punta Magdalena and Punta Caucedo; Ocoa, between Punta Salinas and Punta Martín García; Neyba, between Punta Martín García and Punta Averena, and Águilas, between Cabo Falso and Cabo Rojo. Additional paragraph: The internal waters of the Dominican Republic shall be considered archipelagic waters, subject to the jurisdiction of the Dominican State. Article 7. The following shall be considered historic bays: Santo Domingo, the area enclosed between Cabo Palenque and Punta Caucedo, and the Escocesa, the area between Cabo Francés Viejo and Cabo Cabrón. The waters that enclose them shall be considered internal waters. Article 8. The archipelagic baseline from which the breadth of the territorial sea, the contiguous zone and the exclusive economic zone shall be

3 20 measured is comprised of segments of straight lines that join the points whose geodesic coordinates are as follows: (1) N W Outer limit of the Masacre river; (2) N W Cayo Arenas continues at low tide to the following point; (3) N W Cayo Arenas (4) N W Mouchoir Bank continues at low tide to the following point; (5) N W Mouchoir Bank continues at low tide to the following point; (6) N W Mouchoir Bank (7) N W Silver Bank continues at low tide to the following point; (8) N W Silver Bank; (9) N W Banco Innombrado continues at low tide to the following point; (10) N W Banco Innombrado; (11) 19º N 68º W Navidad Bank continues at low tide to the following point; (12) 19º N 68º W Navidad Bank; (13) 18º N 68º W Cayo Cabo Engaño 75.54; (14) 18º N 68º W Cabo Engaño 2.48; (15) 18º N 68º W Isla Cuidado continues at low tide to the following point; (16) 18º N 68º W Isla Cuidado; (17) 18º N 68º W Isla Saona 0.30 continues at low tide to the following point; (18) N W Punta Laguna; (19) N W Punta Palenque 80.15; (20) N W Isla Alto Velo continues at low tide to the following point; (21) N W Isla Alto Velo; (22) N W Isla Los Frailes 9.22; (23) N W Punta Frontera de Pedernales (Datum: WGS 84). Additional paragraph: These points are geodesic points and shall be adjusted to the corresponding values subject to in situ verification by the Dominican State. Article 9. The breadth of the territorial sea of the Dominican Republic is 12 nautical miles measured from the archipelagic baseline in the direction of the high seas.

4 21 Article 10. The sovereignty of the Dominican Republic extends to the territorial sea, the seabed and subsoil and the living and non-living resources contained therein, as well as to the airspace over the territorial sea. Article 11. The Dominican Republic, in accordance with international law, respects the right of innocent passage through its territorial waters and the superjacent airspace, without prejudice to the right of the Dominican State to designate passage routes. Article 12. The Dominican Republic does not regard as innocent passage through its archipelagic and territorial waters, or its superjacent airspace, the movement of vessels and aircraft containing cargo consisting of radioactive substances or highly toxic chemicals which may be used as instruments of mass destruction or to cause serious harm to human health or the environment. Article 13. The contiguous zone includes the marine area contiguous to the territorial sea extending 24 nautical miles measured from the archipelagic baseline in the direction of the high seas. The Dominican Republic shall exercise jurisdiction over this zone as provided in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Montego Bay). Article 14. An exclusive economic zone is hereby established, consisting of the marine area adjacent to the outer limit of the contiguous zone and extending up to 200 nautical miles measured from the archipelagic baseline in the direction of the high seas. The outer limit of the exclusive economic zone is defined by a set of straight lines connecting points whose geodesic coordinates are the following: (1) N W (2) N W (3) N W (4) N W (5) N W (6) N W (7) N W (8) N W (9) N W (10) N W (11) N W (12) N W (13) N W (14) N W (15) N W (16) N W (17) N W (18) N W (19) N W (20) N W (21) N W (22) N W (23) N W (24) N W (25) N W (26) N W (27) N W (28) N W

5 (29) N W (30) N W (31) N W (32) N W (33) N W (34) N W (35) N W (36) N W (37) N W (38) N W (39) N W (40) N W (41) N W (42) N W (43) N W (44) N W (45) N W (46) N W (47) N W (48) N W (49) N W (50) N W (51) N W (52) N W (53) N W (54) N W (55) N W (56) N W (57) N W (58) N W (59) N W (60) N W (61) N W (62) N W (63) N W (64) N W (65) N W (66) N W (67) N W (68) N W (69) N W (70) N W (71) N W (72) N W (73) N W (74) N W (75) N W (76) N W (77) N W (78) N W (79) N W (80) N W (81) N W (82) N W (83) N W (84) N W 22

6 (85) N W (86) N W (87) N W (88) N W (89) N W (90) N W (91) N W (92) N W (93) N W (94) N W (95) N W (96) N W (97) N W (98) N W (99) N W (100) N W (101) N W (102) N W (103) N W (104) N W (105) N W (106) N W (107) N W (108) N W (109) N W (110) N W (111) N W (112) N W (113) N W (114) N W (115) N W (116) N W (117) N W (118) N W (119) N W (120) N W (121) N W (122) N W (123) N W (124) N W (125) N W (126) N W (127) N W (128) N W (129) N W (130) N W (131) N W (132) N W (133) N W (134) N W (135) N W (136) N W (137) N W (138) N W (139) N W (140) N W 23

7 (141) N W (142) N W (143) N W (144) N W (145) N W (146) N W (147) N W (148) N W (149) N W (150) N W (151) N W (152) N W (153) N W (154) N W (155) N W (156) N W (157) N W (158) N W (159) N W (160) N W (161) N W (162) N W (163) N W (164) N W (165) N W (166) N W (167) N W (168) N W (169) N W (170) N W (171) N W (172) N W (173) N W (174) N W (175) N W (176) N W (177) N W (178) N W (179) N W (180) N W (181) N W (182) N W (183) N W (184) N W (185) N W (186) N W (187) N W (188) N W (189) N W (190) N W (191) N W (192) N W (193) N W (194) N W (195) N W (196) N W 24

8 (197) N W (198) N W (199) N W (200) N W (201) N W (202) N W (203) N W (204) N W (205) N W (206) N W (207) N W (208) N W (209) N W (210) N W (211) N W (212) N W (213) N W (214) N W (215) N W (216) N W (217) N W (218) N W (219) N W (220) N W (221) N W (222) N W (223) N W (224) N W (225) N W (226) N W (227) N W (228) N W (229) N W (230) N W (231) N W (232) N W (233) N W (234) N W (235) N W (236) N W (237) N W (238) N W (239) N W (240) N W (241) N W (242) N W (243) N W (244) N W (245) N W (246) N W (247) N W (248) N W (249) N W (250) N W (251) N W (252) N W 25

9 (253) N W (254) N W (255) N W (256) N W (257) N W (258) N W (259) N W (260) N W (261) N W (262) N W (263) N W (264) N W (265) N W (266) N W (267) N W (268) N W (269) N W (270) N W (271) N W (272) N W (273) N W (274) N W (275) N W (276) N W (277) N W (278) N W (279) N W (280) N W (281) N W (282) N W (283) N W (284) N W (285) N W (286) N W (287) N W (288) N W (289) N W (290) N W (291) N W (292) N W (293) N W (294) N W (295) N W (296) N W (297) N W (298) N W (299) N W (300) N W (301) N W (302) N W (303) N W (304) N W (305) N W (306) N W (307) N W (308) N W 26

10 (309) N W (310) N W (311) N W (312) N W (313) N W (314) N W (315) N W (316) N W (317) N W (318) N W (319) N W (320) N W (321) N W (322) N W (323) N W (324) N W (325) N W (326) N W (327) N W (328) N W (329) N W (330) N W (331) N W (332) N W (333) N W (334) N W (335) N W (336) N W (337) N W (338) N W (339) N W (340) N W (341) N W (342) N W (343) N W (344) N W (345) N W (346) N W (347) N W (348) N W (349) N W (350) N W (351) N W (352) N W (353) N W (354) N W (355) N W (356) N W (357) N W (358) N W (359) N W (360) N W (361) N W (362) N W (363) N W (364) N W 27

11 (365) N W (366) N W (367) N W (368) N W (369) N W (370) N W (371) N W (372) N W (373) N W (374) N W (375) N W (376) N W (377) N W (378) N W (379) N W (380) N W (381) N W (382) N W (383) N W (384) N W (385) N W (386) N W (387) N W (388) N W (389) N W (390) N W (391) N W (392) N W (393) N W (394) N W (395) N W (396) N W (397) N W (398) N W (399) N W (400) N W (401) N W (402) N W (403) N W (404) N W (405) N W (406) N W (407) N W (408) N W (409) N W (410) N W (411) N W (412) N W (413) N W (414) N W (415) N W (416) N W (417) N W (418) N W (419) N W (420) N W 28

12 (421) N W (422) N W (423) N W (424) N W (425) N W (426) N W (427) N W (428) N W (429) N W (430) N W (431) N W (432) N W (433) N W (434) N W (435) N W (436) N W (437) N W (438) N W (439) N W (440) N W (441) N W (442) N W (443) N W (444) N W (445) N W (446) N W (447) N W (448) N W (449) N W (450) N W (451) N W (452) N W (453) N W (454) N W (455) N W (456) N W (457) N W (458) N W (459) N W (460) N W (461) N W (462) N W (463) N W (464) N W (465) N W (466) N W (467) N W (468) N W (469) N W (470) N W (471) N W (472) N W (473) N W (474) N W (475) N W (476) N W 29

13 30 (477) N W (478) N W (479) N W (480) N W (481) N W (482) N W (483) N W (484) N W (485) N W (486) N W (487) N W (488) N W (489) N W (490) N W (491) N W (492) N W (493) N W (494) N W (495) N W (496) N W (497) N W (Datum: WGS 84) Additional paragraph: These boundary points are geodesic points and may be adjusted to their corresponding values subject to in situ verification by the Dominican State. Article 15. The Dominican Republic shall exercise jurisdiction over the exclusive economic zone as provided for in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Montego Bay). Article 16. There shall be established a statutory body known as the National Maritime Authority, whose main function is to oversee the research, conservation and exploitation of living and non-living resources of the sea, seabed and subsoil. It shall also be responsible for domestic and international representation on all matters concerning the sea, its use and rights pertaining thereto. Additional paragraph: It shall be a national priority to prepare a register of the living and non-living, renewable and non-renewable resources of the superjacent waters, seabed and subsoil in the exclusive economic zone, as well as salvage operations with respect to treasures from ancient sunken vessels within the exclusive economic zone which constitute part of the national cultural heritage. Article 17. The National Maritime Authority governing the exclusive economic zone shall be led by a collegial body whose membership shall be as follows: (a) Chairman, appointed by the Executive Branch, holding the rank of Secretary of State; (b) State Secretary for Industry and Commerce; (c) Dominican Port Authority;

14 31 (d) State Secretary for the Environment and Natural Resources; (e) Navy. Additional paragraph I. Revenue budget and the Public Expenditures Act shall provide, on an annual basis, for the funds necessary for the operations of the National Maritime Authority. Additional paragraph II. A multisectoral advisory committee shall be established as a deliberative body to participate in the decision-making process, acting at the request of the Chairman of the National Maritime Authority. The committee shall consist of representatives of the Navy, the Dominican Naval League, the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo, private universities, the Academy of Sciences of the Dominican Republic and business associations. Article 18. The Navy and Armed Forces of the Dominican Republic shall coordinate and support the defence and monitoring plans established by the National Maritime Authority. Article 19. Each year a commemorative month shall be designated between 13 March and 14 April to promote the dissemination of information about the sea and its resources. Article 20. The geodesic points established in the present Act correspond to the maritime areas of the Dominican Republic, the archipelagic baselines and the baselines that delimit the exclusive economic zone, as shown in the attached map. Article 21. The Dominican State shall initiate the appropriate processes for resolving delimitation issues pending with third States, in accordance with the principles established in the present Act. Article 22. The National Maritime Authority shall elaborate the relevant regulations to enforce the present Act. DEROGATIONS Article 23. This Act shall repeal and replace Act No. 186 of 13 September 1967 on the Territorial Sea of the Dominican Republic and its amendments, as well as any other Act that runs counter to its provisions. DONE in the Chamber of Deputies, the National Congress at Santo Domingo de Guzmán, National District, capital of the Dominican Republic, on 4 April 2006, 163rd Year of Independence and 143rd Year of the Restoration. Alfredo Pacheco Osoria, President Severina Gil Carreras, Secretary Josefina Alt. Marte Durán, Secretary Subject: Act concerning the declaration of the Dominican Republic as an archipelagic State DONE in the Senate of the National Congress at Santo Domingo de Guzmán, National District, capital of the Dominican Republic, on 26 July 2006; 163rd Year of Independence and 143rd Year of the Restoration. Andrés Bautista García, President Enriquillo Reyes Ramírez, Secretary

15 32 Pedro José Alegría Soto, Secretary Exercise the powers conferred on Leonel Fernández Reyna President of the Dominican Republic by article 55 of the Constitution of the Republic, I PROMULGATE this Act and order that it be published in the Gaceta Oficial for the purposes of information and observance. DONE at Santo Domingo de Guzmán, National District, capital of the Dominican Republic, 22 May 2007; 164th Year of Independence and 144th Year of the Restoration. Leonel Fernández Reyna