2.1.4 Each search and rescue region shall be established by agreement among Parties concerned. The Secretary-General shall be notified of such agreements.
2.1.5 In case agreement on the exact dimensions of a search and rescue region is not reached by the Parties concerned, those Parties shall use their best endeavours to reach agreement upon appropriate arrangements under which the equivalent overall co-ordination of search and rescue services is provided in the area. The Secretary-General shall be notified of such arrangements.
2.1.6 Agreement on the regions or arrangements referred to in paragraphs 2.1.4 and 2.1.5 shall be recorded by the Parties concerned, or in written plans accepted by the Parties."
4 The United States urges consideration of possible options for making the IMO SAR Plan a reality in the fastest practicable way. Ideally, we support a process similar to the one used by ICAO (which has been discussed at COMSAR at previous meetings) for development and adoption of its Regional Air Navigation Plans. The ICAO procedures neither preclude formal agreements between States, nor do these procedures introduce the possibility of States being forced to accept arrangements with which they do not agree. These procedures do, however, enable adoption within just a few months of regional arrangements that are acceptable to the States concerned. We would like to know if this is a feasible option, and whether there may be other possibilities.
Action requested of the Sub-Committee
5 The Sub-Committee is invited to:
.1 invite Governments to consider the proposal in paragraph 4 above;
.2 invite Governments to consider what other options may be available to help expedite implementation of the critical safety provisions of the IMO SAR Plan; and
.3 consider completion of the IMO SAR Plan as a matter of urgency.
