ABSTRACT
The settlement of boundary disputes involving resources has tradition-ally centred on the demarcation of specific lines dividing the disputed resource area between the states involved. 1 However, modern practice has developed a number of possible alternatives. They range from the limited case of unitization of transboundary deposits 2 to an agreed draft covering the resources of an entire continent. 3 There has been disagree-ment as to whether customary international law specifically requires positive co-operation for joint development (Miyoshi 1988). The lack of certainty on custom and the growing number of agreements suggest that the focus is best placed on negotiated treaties as indications of the various possible solutions available in the absence of conventional demarcation.