3.1.3 The 'Bogota Declaration1 and Arguments Pro and Con It was in October 1975 during the 30th session of the U.N. General Assembly that Colombia first claimed a segment of the geo- 30 stationary orbit above its national territory. The claim was predicated on the argument that the geostationary orbit was not included in the conception of outer space alluded to in the Outer Space Treaty of 1967. This position was reiterated by Colombia during the next session of the General Assembly in 1976 and similar 31 positions were taken by Ecuador and Panama. 32 In November 1976, eight equatorial countries (Brazil, Colombia, Congo, Ecuador, Indonesia, Kenya, Uganda and Zaire) met in Bogota to hammer out a unified position in relation to the geostationary orbit. Their conference ended on December 3, 1976, with what is known as 33 the 'Bogota Declaration' in which they set forth their basic posi- tion on the legal status of the geostationary orbit. In order to understand fully the position of the equatorial countries with respect to the geostationary orbit, it seems appropriate to review briefly the basic arguments set forth in the Declaration as well as subsequent statements both pro and con. 3.1.3.1 The 'Bogota Declaration' The basic claim of the Bogota Declaration reduced to its bare essentials is that segments of the geostationary orbit (a natural resource) which lie above their territories are an "integral part" of the territory over which the equatorial countries exercise 34 complete and exclusive sovereignty. This claim is accompanied
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