Declaration of 25 August 1980 on the Exclusive Economic Zone and its delimitation

517 UAE 1 1. LIMITS OF NATIONAL JURISDICTION (b) Declaration of 25 August 1980 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs concerning the Exclusive Economic Zone and its Delimitations On the basis of the principles jointly affirmed by States in connection with economic zones in marine waters adjacent to thp;r ~oa~t~; As an expression of developments in the rules of international law governing the rights of coastal States in those zones; and Believing it to be necessary for the United Arab Emirates to protect its vital interests by affirming its sovereignty over all the natural resources in the economic zone adjacenl lu iLs coasts irrespective of whether the existence of such resources is established in the superjacent waters, on the sea-bed or below the sea-bed; The Government of the United Arab Emirates declares the following: 1. - The United Arab Emirates possesses an exclusive economic zone adjacent to its main coasts and to the coasts of its islands in the Gulf and in the Sea ot Oman. 2. - The economic zone of the United Arab Emirates shall be measured from the baselines from which the territorial sea of the main coasts of the United Arab Emirates and of the coasts of its islands are measured. 3. - The outer limit of the economic zone of the United Arab Emirates shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of the agreements concluded by the Emirates members of the Union in connexion with their continental shelf. If the Emirates members of the Union have not concluded such agreements, the outer limits of the economic zone of the United Arab Emirates shall extend to the median line every point of which is equidistant from the nearest points of the baseline. 4. - The United Arab Emirates shall exercise full sovereign rights over the natural resources located within its exclusive economic zone for the purpose of the exploration, exploitation, management, development and conservation of such resources. The United Arab Emirates shall also possess full rights of jurisdiction within the said economic zone for the purpose of exercising supervision over scientific research conducted therein and taking the requisite measures for the protection of the marine environment and for the construction of the structures, installations and artificial islands needed for the purposes of the fishing zone. 5. - Foreign vessels shall not be allowed to fish in the economic zone of the United Arab Emirates unless they are duly licensed by the competent authorities. Such licence shall include, in particular, details regarding the 518 U~ 2 compensation due in return for the license, the species for which fishing is permitted, the fishing methods to be used, the area covered by the licence and the permitted quota of catch. 6. - The rights exercised by the United Arab Emirates over the economic zone shall not prejudice international navigation rights exercised by States in general in accordance with the rules of international law. 7. - Thi~ rlprl~T~tion shall not affect the status quo between Emirates members of the Union in regard to their respective territorial waters. 8. - The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, in collaboration with the ministries concerned, shall prepare official charts delimiting the economic zone in accordance with the provisions of this declaration. The said ministry, in collaboration with the ministries concerned, shall take the necessary action for the publicatiun and dissemination of those charts.