Decreto Nº 14.708/46 - Soberania nacional sobre el mar epicontinental y la plataforma submarina

Decree No. 14,708, concerning national sovereignty over the Epicontinental Sea and the Argentine Continental Shelf, Oct. 1946 - "Boletin Oficial de la Republioa Argentina" -Vol, 54, No. 15.641 (5 Dec, 1946) 'Whereas: The submcll'ine platform, known also as the submarine plateau or continental shelf, is closely united to the mainland both in a morphological and a geological sense; The waters covering the submarine platform constitute the eipcontinental seas, characterized by extraordinary biological activity, owing to the influence of the sunlight, which stimulates plant life (a.lp;ae, mosses, etc.) an~ the life of innu□erable species of animals, both susceptible of industrial utilization; The Executive Power, in article 2 of Decree No. 1,386, dated 24 January 1944, issued a categorical proclamation of sovereignty over the "Argentine continental shelf11 and the '1Argentine epicontinental sea", declaring them to be "transitory zones of mineral reserves"; The State, through the medium of the Yacimientos Petroliferos Fi scales (Public Petroleum Deposits Administration), is exploiting the petroleum deposits discovered along the 11Argentine continental shelf", thereby confi~ming the llgentine nation's ri6ht of ownershi~ over all de~osits ~ituated in the aforesaid continental shelf; It is the purpose of the Executive Power to continue, more and more intensively, its scientific and technical investigations respecting all phases of the exploration and exploitation of the animal, vegetable and mineral wealth, which offer such vast potentialities, contained in the Argentine continental shelf and in the corresponding epicontinental sea; In the international sphere, conditional recognition is accorded to the right of each nation to consider as national territory the entire extent of its e~ioontinental sea and of the adjacent continental shelf; Relying upon this principle, the Governments Of the United States of America and of Mexico have issued declarations asserting the sovereignty of each of the two countries over the respective peripheral epicontinental seas and continental shelves (Proclamation of President Truman, dated 28 September 1945, and Declaration of President Avila Camacho, d~ted 29 October 1945); The doctrine in question, apart fl'om the fact that it is implicitly acce:pteQ. in modern international law, is no~ deriving su~~ort from the realm af science in the form of serious and Valuable contributions, a.sis evidenced by numerous national and. foreign publications and. even by o1Ticial educational programmes; and The manifest validity of the thesis set forth above, a$ well as the determination of the Argentine Government to perfect and preserve all the attributes inherently bound. up witn the exercise of national sovereignty, make it advisable to formulate the corresponding declaration, thereby amplifying the effects of the aforesaid Decree No. 11386. The President of the Argentine Nation, supported by a General Accord of the Ministers Decrees: Artic1A 1. It is hereby declared that the Argentine epicontinental sea and continental shelf are subject to the sovereign power of the nation; Article 2. For purpose$ of free navigation, the character o:f the waters situated in the Argentine epicontinental sea and above the Argentine ~ontil'.l.Q.nt~l shQ1£, rQmaing unaf£QQt9d by tho pFOQQnt Doclaz,~tion; Article l• The present Declaration shall be brought to the attention of the Honourable Congress, published, transmittea to the ~ational Registry and filed.