disarmament andtherighttodevelopment. 182.TheConvention, adopted on30April1982,wasopenedforsignature on 10December 1982. Asof9December 1984,theclosing forsignature, ithadbeen signed by159States andentities. Asof19July1985,21States andentities had ratified theConvention. TheConvention willenterintoforce12monthsafterthe receipt of60ratifications oraccessions. 1.Freedom ofnavigation 183.OneofthemaintasksfacingtheThirdUnitedNations Conference onthe theSeawastoestablish alegalmaritime orderwhichaccommodated theneeds developing countries andthemaritime interests ofthedeveloped countries. clearthatonlybysuchanaccommodation couldtheimportant aspects ofthe peaceful useSoftheseasandthefreedom ofnavigation bepromoted.Lawof ofthe Itwas 184.Therewerethreeimportant interests, amongothers, whichhadtobereconciled bytheConference: ontheonehand,thesecurity interests ofcoastal States and theneedtoprotect themainlyresource-oriented interests ofthedeveloping coastal States andbntheotherhand,thenecessity ofpreserving thefreedom of navigation ofshipsandaircraft. InthistheConference wassuccessful asthe Convention ontheLawoftheSeahasmanaged tobalance theseinterests. 185.Oneofthedominant reasons forrestricting thesovereignty andjurisdiction ofcoastal Statestoafairlynarrow bandofwaterknownastheterritorial seawas toensurethatthefreedom ofnavigation, whether commercial ormilitary, wasnot affected byanyextensions. ThusthenewConvention hasreaffirmed thefreedom of navigation. Therearetwodevelopments inthenewlawoftheseawithrespect to I...A/40/535 English Page54 areasfalling underthesovereignty ofcoastal States whichcouldparticularly affectthefreedom ofnavigation: first,theadoption ofal2-mile territorial sea andsecond, theacceptance ofthenotionofarchipelagic waters. Boththese developments areembodied intheConvention ontheLawoftheSea,butinboth cases,theConvention hassoughttomitigate theconsequences ofthesedevelopments onthefreedom ofnavigation. 2.Peaceful usesoftheseas 186.Thepeaceful usesoftheseashasbeenarecurring themebeforesuccessive UnitedNations forums onthelawoftheseaforalmostfourdecades. Atthe Conference ontheLawoftheSeaheldatGenevain1958,thetesting ofnuclear weapons onthehighseaswasaveryliveissue.Itwasarguedthatsuchtests violated theprinciple ofthefreedom ofthehighseas,andproposals were submitted totheConference withtheintentofobliging Statestorefrain from testing nuclear weapons onthehighseas.TheConference finally accepted a resolution which,whilerecognizing theserious andgenuine apprehension onthe partofmanyStatesthatnuclear explosions constituted aninfringement ofthe freedom oftheseas,decided toreferthemattertotheGener.al Assembly, in particular totheDisarmament Commission. ItmaybenotedthattheTreaty Banning Nuclear WeaponTestsintheAtmosphere, inOuterSpaceandunderwaterwasopened forsignature in1963andentered intoforcelaterthesameyear. 187.Oneoftheobjectives laiddowninthepreamble ofthe1982Convention onthe LawoftheSeaistheestablishment ofalegalorderfortheseasandoceans which willpromote theirpeaceful uses.Thisthemeistakenupinvarious partsofthe Convention, inmarkedcontrast tothe1958GenevaConventions ontheLawoftheSea wherenosuchreference canbefound. Forinstance, itisquiteclearly stated that"thehighseasshallbereserved forpeaceful purposes" (art.88)andthatthe sea-bed andsubsoil beyondthelimitsofnational jurisdiction (theArea)"shall be opentouseexclusively forpeaceful purposes" (art.141).Installations constructed forcarrying outactiVities intheAreaaretobeusedexclusively for peaceful purposes (art.147,para.2(d)).Theconference whichwillbeconvened toreviewtheoperation Ofthesystemofexploration andexploitation oftheArea IIshallensure", interalia,"thattheprinciple ofusingtheAreaexclusively for peaceful purposes ismaintained" (art.155,para.2).Inaddition, underthenew Convention marinescientific research istobeconducted exclusively forpeaceful purposes. Thispointisstatedinseveral provisions oftheConvention: in article 143,paragraph 1;240(a);242,paragraph 1;and246,paragraph 3.The Convention alsoreiterates ageneral principle ofinternational lawalready embodied intheCharter OftheUnitedNations: thatStatesshallsettletheir disputes, inthiscasethoseconcerning theinterpretation orapplication ofthe Convention, bypeaceful means. TheConvention itselfhasprovided amechanism for thesettlement ofsuchdisputes. 188.TheConvention declares that"thehighseasshallbereserved forpeaceful purposes", butitdoesnotcontain adefinition of"peaceful purposes". The
**Analysis**
The text discusses the Convention on the Law of the Sea, its significance, and the interests it aims to reconcile. It highlights the importance of freedom of navigation, peaceful uses of the seas, and the need to balance the interests of developed and developing countries. The text also touches on the use of the seas for scientific research, the settlement of disputes, and the promotion of a legal order for the seas and oceans.

**Category**
Transport and communication, Natural resources and environment