Senators clarify stance on UN treaty

In the 24 hours since this reporter’s first news story was published Monday on the controversial U.N. treaties, the Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST) and the so-called “small arms treaty,” several U.S. senators have clarified their position on LOST.

The small arms treaty has garnered very little support, but LOST has a chance of being approved.

In a late breaking development moments ago, Lauren Culbertson, press secretary for U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., shown in the photo above, contacted this reporter to state that as of this afternoon the senator is now on the record as a firm “no” vote against the treaty. Isakson, who is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, stated that he would vote against moving the treaty out of committee to the Senate floor.

LOST has been around for a very long time, first surfacing 30 years ago as the United Nations attempted to forge an international agreement concerning the usage of the seas. But the treaty has never managed to get the approval of the Senate due to heavy opposition from conservatives who believe that it encroaches on U.S. sovereignty.

In 2007 Sen. Isakson dealt with the treaty as a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and questioned witnesses about it. On Oct. 31, 2007 Isakson voted against moving the treaty out of committee to the Senate floor for a vote due to his deep concerns about the inherent violations of U.S. sovereignty.

Democrats at the time had overwhelming majorities in both the House and the Senate, and they succeeded in moving LOST out of committee to the floor for a full Senate vote. But LOST failed to be ratified.

According to Culbertson,

Johnny has attended all four hearings on this treaty that Chairman Kerry has held in the past two months, and he plans on attending any other hearings that may be held on the treaty. Johnny will remain engaged in the process and continue seeking answers to questions about the consequences of accession to the Law of the Sea Treaty, but
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