CONVENTION BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF THE FRENCH REPUBLIC AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE KINGDOM OF TONGA ON THE DELIMITATION OF ECONOMIC ZONES

(Nuku'alofa, 11 January 1980)

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 11 JANUARY 1980

THE GOVERNMENT OF THE FRENCH REPUBLIC AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE KINGDOM OF TONGA, 

DESIRING to strengthen the relations of good-neighbourliness and friendship between the two countries, 

HAVING for that purpose renewed the Treaty of 9 January 1855 which established the bases for friendly relations between the French and Tongan peoples, 

HAVING decided to delimit the 200-mile economic zones situated off the coast of their territories, 

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT the work of the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea and the relevant principles of international law, 

THE GOVERNMENT OF TONGA HAVING proposed that the equidistance method be used for this delimitation, 

THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT HAVING accepted this proposal, which is consistent, in the present instance, with the application of equitable principles, 

REFERRING TO THE NOTES exchanged in this regard by the Government of Tonga and the French Government on 7 November 1979 and 24 December 1979 respectively, 

HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS: 

Article 1

The delimitation line between the economic zone of the French Republic off the coast of Wallis and Futuna and the exclusive economic zone of Tonga shall be the median line or line of equidistance. 

Article 2

The above-mentioned line shall be constituted by all the points equidistant from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea of the two States is measured. 

Article 3

(a) The two Governments shall, as soon as possible, draw up the appropriate cartographic documents by mutual consent. 

(b) These documents shall be drawn up taking into account available cartographic and geodetic data. 

(c) The necessary technical corrections to bring these data up to date may be made subsequently by exchange of letters. 

Article 4

This Convention shall enter into force on the date of signature. 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned, duly authorized by their respective Governments, have signed this Convention. 

DONE at Nuku'alofa on 11 January 1980 in two copies, each in the French and Tongan languages, both texts being equally authentic.