LOST vote likely before year's end

New American, The, Nov 12, 2007

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On October 4, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations held a hearing on ratifying the Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST). The prepared testimony given by the several witnesses underscores the fact that LOST is a real threat, and could be ratified at any time by the Senate. Among the supporters of the treaty was Senator Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) who insinuated that the United States would be subjected to the treaty whether the Senate votes on it or not when he said, "The United States cannot insulate itself from the Convention merely by declining to ratify."

In the days following the committee hearing, it was learned that a ratification vote on LOST was expected before the end of the year. CNN's Lou Dobbs, who opposes U.S. ratification of the UN treaty, wrote about LOST in an October 17 commentary on CNN.com. "The assault on our national sovereignty continues," warns Dobbs. "At a time when public approval of the White House and Congress is near historic lows, the president is urging the Senate to act favorably on our accession to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea." Dobbs further warns that the vote to ratify LOST may be facing the Senate in the coming weeks.

After several "false alarms" over the past couple of years, it seems as though a vote on the ratification of LOST is finally going to come before the Senate before the end of the year. (For more information about the treaty, go to www.jbs.org/node/2935.)