ABSTRACT
The Sixth Session of the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea held in New York was attended by representatives from more than 140 countries. During the eight-week session, a large number of developing countries again waged an acute struggle against the superpowers over the provisions of a new law of the sea. After the conclusion of the conference, while commenting on the session, some representatives of Third and Second World countries censured the superpowers' stand of maritime hegemonism and expressed the determination of the coastal states to fight together to defend their sea rights on the basis of the identity of their fundamental interests. Some representatives from Third World countries pointed out that the tough stand of maritime hegemonism adopted by the two superpowers, the Soviet Union and the United States, was the root cause of the failure of the session to reach agreements acceptable to the developing countries on a number of important questions.
