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Agreement between the government of the Republic of France and the Government of Fiji relating to the Delimitation of their Economic Zone [1983] PITSE 4 (19 January 1983)

AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF FRANCE AND THE GOVERNMENT OF FIJI RELATING TO THE DELIMITATION OF THEIR ECONOMIC ZONE

(Suva, 19 January 1983)

ENTRY INTO FORCE: SEE ARTICLE 4

THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF FRANCE AND THE GOVERNMENT OF FIJI,

DESIROUS of strengthening the bonds of neighbourliness and friendship between the two countries;

HAVING decided to delimit the economic zones around their territories;

TAKING into account the work of the Third Conference of the United Nations on the Law of the Sea and the relevant principles of international law;

THE Government of Fiji having proposed that this delimitation be made according to the method of equidistance;

THE Government of France having accepted this proposal as being, in the present case, in conformity with the application of equitable principles;

REFERRING to the conclusions of the meetings which took place in Paris on 8th March 1979 and 25th October 1980 and in Brussels on 30th January 1981, between the representatives of the two Governments;

HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS

Article l

The delimitation between the economic zone of the Republic of France around the territories of New Caledonia and Wallis and Futuna and the exclusive economic zone of Fiji is based on the line of equidistance, with certain minor divergences for administrative convenience. The line has been determined by using the nearest points of the baselines from which the territorial sea of each country is measured. In the case of France, the baseline is drawn in conformity with the Acts of 24^th December 1971 and 28th December 1976. In the case of Fiji, the baseline is the archipelagic baseline drawn in accordance with the Fiji Marine Spaces Act of 15th December 1977.

Article 2

1. The line of delimitation determined in accordance with Article 1 is formed by the arcs of geodesics joining the points listed in Annex I to this Agreement, in the sequence given in the said Annex, which is an integral part of the Agreement.

2. This line has been drawn for illustrative purposes on the Chart forming Annex II to this Agreement.

Article 3

This Agreement is without prejudice to sovereign rights of any neighbouring State in the areas to which it applies.

Article 4

Each party shall notify the other of the completion of its constitutional procedures necessary to bring this Agreement into force. The Agreement shall enter into force on the date of receipt of the later of those notifications.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the representatives of the two Governments, being duly authorised for this purpose, have signed this Agreement.

DONE at Suva, the nineteenth day of January one thousand nine hundred and eighty/three in two originals, each in the English and French languages, the two texts being equally authoritative.

Annex I

[page 2| Delimitation Treaties Infobase | accessed on 14/03/2002

DOALOS/OLA - UNITED NATIONS

A. Between France (New Caledonia) and Fiji

1. 25° 04' 23" S 174° 16' 32" E
2. 20° 01' 21" S 172° 45' 53" E

B. Between France (Wallis and Futuna) and Fiji

1. 15° 56' 12" S 177° 22' 35" W
2. 15° 17' 47" S 178° 31' 00" W
3. 14° 48' 18" S 179° 14' 23" W
4. 13° 19' 41" S 179° 29' 39" E
5. 13° 14' 05" S 179° 31' 48" E

The positions of the points in this Annex are defined by latitude and longitude on World Geodetic System 1972 (WGS 72).