President Bush has issued an Arctic policy directive which asserts the right of the US to protect its national security and economic interests in the natural gas-and oil-rich region while pledging to strengthen cooperation with other Arctic nations.Among other things,the presidential directive urges the Senate to pass the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea,which has already been ratified by more than 150 countries.The convention would allow the US to claim an"extended outer continental shelf'stretching more than 200 miles beyond its coastline,including areas of the Arctic seabed off the coast of Alaska(NGW Jan.5,p1).
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