included as being bound by the 1978 listing in Treaties in Force. Congo, Colombia, and Kenya did not sign the Treaty and are not bound by it. The 1978 position of Colombia is that there is no intention to ratify the agreement "so long as its provisions had not been expanded in such a way as to permit a definition and delimitation of outer space that recognized the geostationary orbit as s limited natural resource under the sovereignty of equatorial states insofar as those segments which correspond to their national territories were concerned." Further, in the absence of a clear and precise definition of "outer space" States in the exercise of their "full and sole sovereignty as a subject of international law, could enact laws defining their national space and therein exercise the rights and assume the obligations established under national law."^ The common interest of these eight States stemmed from the fact that the space resource States, because of the ellipticity of the equator, have found that geostationary space objects have an ideal orbital position at a height of approximately 22,300 miles above the equator. With the use by such States of the geostationary orbital position, and with plans on their part for an augmented use of such slots, the equatorial States have wondered whether such use might constitute a de facto "appropriation" of such slots. In convening in Bogota these States were unquestionably influenced by the fact that space objects of the ERTS and LANDSAT type were capable of sensing and identifying the presence of natural resources. Moreover, there had been a strong tradition on the part of the new and U.N. Doc. 105/C.1/SR.199, p. 2, February 28, 1978. Ibid., p. 4. U.N. Doc. A/AC.105/203, p. 5, August 29, 1977.
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