Posted by njdiver on November 03, 2001 at 09:44:44:
UNESCO adopts convention to protect sunken treasure PARIS, Nov 2 (Reuters) - A convention outlawing the plunder of ancient shipwrecks and sunken cities was adopted by the United Nations cultural organization UNESCO on Friday, a spokeswoman said. The Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage, which took experts four years to finalize, bans treasure hunters from underwater archaeological sites, overriding objections from commercial salvage operators. UNESCO said underwater goldmines reap treasure hunters hundreds of millions of dollars at the expense of the world's cultural heritage. Passed by a vote of 87 to four with 15 abstentions by the plenary session of the Paris-based body's conference, the convention would enter into force once 20 countries had ratified it. The convention provides for sanctions against violations of the new code and gives states powers to seize any illegally recovered underwater treasures that enter their territory. The International Salvage Union (ISU) and maritime law organizations say the wording is at odds with existing treaties, including the 1982 Law of the Sea, that they say enshrine laws of ownership and age-old rights of salvage.
UNESCO adopts convention to protect sunken treasure PARIS, Nov 2 (Reuters) - A convention outlawing the plunder of ancient shipwrecks and sunken cities was adopted by the United Nations cultural organization UNESCO on Friday, a spokeswoman said. The Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage, which took experts four years to finalize, bans treasure hunters from underwater archaeological sites, overriding objections from commercial salvage operators. UNESCO said underwater goldmines reap treasure hunters hundreds of millions of dollars at the expense of the world's cultural heritage. Passed by a vote of 87 to four with 15 abstentions by the plenary session of the Paris-based body's conference, the convention would enter into force once 20 countries had ratified it. The convention provides for sanctions against violations of the new code and gives states powers to seize any illegally recovered underwater treasures that enter their territory. The International Salvage Union (ISU) and maritime law organizations say the wording is at odds with existing treaties, including the 1982 Law of the Sea, that they say enshrine laws of ownership and age-old rights of salvage.
For more try these:
http://www.mikey.net/aue/unesco.htm
http://www.imacdigest.com/politics.html
http://www.scubanj.org/UNESCO.html
http://www.unesco.org/confgen/press_rel/291001_subaqua.shtml
http://www.unesco.org/culture/legalprotection/water/html_eng/index_en.shtml
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001232/123278e.pdf