Principles Treaty. Since the Bogota Declaration focused on politicallegal considerations, it was natural that the UN was to become the principal forum for debate on this subject. The first formal and extended rejection of the Bogota Declaration reaching COPUOS was a working paper submitted by the Soviet Union entitled "Considerations on the Legal Status of Geostationary Orbits." Relevant portions of the working paper provide: 1. Geostationary orbit is inseparable from outer space and all relevant provisions [of the 1967 Principles Treaty] are applicable to it. Under the Treaty, geostationary orbit, like outer space as a whole, is not subject to national appropriation by any means whatsoever. 2. The placing of satellites in geostationary orbit by States creates no right of ownership over the respective orbital positions of the satellites or over segments of the orbit. 3. All States enjoy an equal right to the utilization of geostationary orbit. The utilization of geostationary orbit by States must not be detrimental to the interests of other States. Paragraph 4 of the working paper emphasized the need for States to cooperate in placing communications satellites in geostationary orbit, took into account the recommendations and decisions of the ITU in this area, and linked the effective use of radio frequencies with space objects. The position of the United States was identified at a meeting of the Scientific and Technical Sub-committee of COPUOS on February 24, 1978. Basing its position on a study by the Secretariat of the UN?? the United States indicated that it was "clear that there was no scientific or U.N. Doc. A/AC.105/L.94, June 21, 1977; U.N. Doc. A/32/20, Annex VI, p. 29, 1977. Physical Nature and Technical Attributes of the Geostationary Orbit, U.N. Doc. A/AC.105/203, August 29, 1977.
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