In the implementation of its proposal the United States may conveniently utilize almost all avenues of international cooperation to arrive at an agreement. On the politico-legal level the global approach may be initiated at the United Nations both before the General Assembly and UNCOPUOS and its Legal Sub-committee. With global approach at the technical level, the resources and rich experience of ITU-related bodies should be fully utilized in helping to investigate all relevant aspects of the SPS, including the effects of massive microwave power transmission on radio services. The technical Sub-committee of UNCOPUOS may provide further input and guidance as necessary. Specialized agencies, such as UNESCO and WHO, may also be called upon for assistance in their areas of competence. On a less than global level, the experience of INTELSAT may provide useful insights to draw upon for possible framework. Regional agreements in some regions may be more difficult to negotiate but opportunities for such should be explored, especially with the Organization of American States. Insofar as bilateral cooperation is concerned, current research agreements on solar energy between the U. S. and other countries could be amended to include cooperation in the development of SPS in whatever form it may be agreed upon. An appropriate bilateral agreement may also be considered with the European Space Agency (ESA). Such cooperative project appears quite feasible in view of the close U. S. - ESA cooperation in the Shuttle/Spacelab project. Initially, possibly for the next three-five years, these agreements could aim mainly at coordinating feasibility studies, including effects of microwave power transmission on humans and biota as well as on radio services, research of technical problems, determinations of appropriate sites for receiving antennas, and meeting of experts and many other matters. Possibly, some of these topics (such as exchange of information, coordination of research) are already covered in some current U. S. bilateral agreements pertaining to solar energy and, to that extent, this may facilitate negotiations. In the conduct of negotiations the United States may wish to proceed on a case-by-case basis taking into account its general relations with the foreign country. There appears little reason that would prevent the United States from pursuing virtually all of the indicated international avenues simultaneously. Past experience, for instance, in the field of development of international agreements for safeguarding the peaceful utilization of atomic energy, show that the United States entered into many bilateral agreements while it simultaneously championed the establishment of the International Atomic Energy Agency which for many years did not come into existence. International arrangements on whatever scale (bilateral, multilateral, regional, near-global or global) would appear to give the SPS program a substantial boost both psychologically (prestige-wise) and materially, particularly if developed countries like West Germany and Japan participate. As intimated beforehand, it would also take off the edge of the charge of injustice and inequity advanced by many developing nations. Also, once such agreements are negotiated, it is unlikely that countries would create difficulties in relation to the use of the geostationary orbit by invoking claims of sovereignty or the "common heritage"
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