The Northwest Passage in International Law

• Published in: Canadian Yearbook of international Law/Annuaire canadien de droit international
• Main Author: Pharand, Donat
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1980
• Subjects: Law; Political Science and International Relations; Arctic; Northwest Passage; Northwest passage
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0069005800001454; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0069005800001454

The Arctic Waters in general and those of the Northwest passage in particular have been conspicuously absent from discussions in the Third Law of the Sea Conference. This does not mean, however, that a Convention of general application resulting from the Conference might not affect their legal status. Indeed, it might be possible to say already that the straits question is virtually settled and that the provisions of the Informal Composite Negociating Text, hereinafter referred to simply as the I.C.N.T., relating to passage through “straits used for international navigation” (Part III) and “archipelagic States” (Part IV), will be adopted without significant substantive changes. There have been no such changes since the Revised Single Negotiating Text of May 6, 1976, and the general consensus is that this issue of straits, once considered so difficult to resolve as possibly to cause failure of the Conference, is now settled.