| Four
years after its conclusion and endorsement by an impressive
number of Range States of the Mediterranean and Black Seas,
ACCOBAMS will enter into force on 1 June 2001. The Government
of Malta submitted its instrument of ratification with the
Depositary, the Government of the Principality of Monaco,
on 23 March 2001.
The Government of Monaco has already set the date for the
First Session of the Meeting of the Parties (MOP). It will
take place in Monaco from 14-16 February 2002.
Considerable preparatory work has to be carried out by
the Interim Secretariat, for instance preparing a budget
proposal and consulting on the establishment by the First
Meeting of the Parties (MOP) of a permanent secretariat
and the other relevant bodies, and on the location of the
secretariat.
The Interim Secretariat has already been very active anticipating
the implementation of ACCOBAMS and establishing contacts
with international organisations such as related multilateral
agreements and institutions (e.g. the Barcelona Convention,
the Bern Convention, ASCOBANS and UNEP). ASCOBANS is especially
relevant, and mutual consultations should regularly take
place in the future. The development and increasing use
of low frequency sonars for military purposes and oil exploration,
detonation of bombs, rockets and other explosives dropped
in the sea during military activities, highspeed ships with
detrimental effects on all sorts of marine mammals, pollution
by waste deposits, the growing risks by the increasing transport
of dangerous goods and, of course, accidental catches and
competition with fishing activities are just a few of the
global problems which could be highlighted by ASCOBANS and
ACCOBAMS together.
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