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for land mobile satellite communications. It is likely to
before these amendments enter into
be a number of years before
force.
2.
Operating Agreement
the Convention). Such an Agreement
An essential feature of the Convention is that it
provides for the conclusion of an
(Article 2(2) of
entered into
into force on 16 July 1979,
original Convention.
with the
together with
Amendments to the Operating
Agreement adopted on 16 October 1985 will also enter into
force on 13 October 1989 in accordance with Article XVIII
of the Operating Agreement and in line with the amended
Convention.
3.
A "Party" to the
Convention must be a State
A "Signatory" to
(Article 1(b) of the Convention).
to the
Operating Agreement must either be a Party to the
Convention or an entity designated by a Party (Article
1(c) of the Convention).
4.
The UK is a Party to the Convention.
instrument of ratification was
The UK
deposited on 30 April
1979. The Convention contains no territorial application
provisions, and accordingly the Convention applies to Hong
Kong by virtue of the United Kingdom's ratification.
Article 32 (3) of the Convention enables a Party to declare
to which Registers of ships, and to which land earth
jurisdiction the Convention shall
stations under its
apply.
Pursuant to
this
article, the United Kingdom