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The request is based on "the fundamental importance of the oceans as sinks and reservoirs of greenhouse gases and the direct relevance of the marine environment to the adverse effects of climate change on small island states."
Diplomats suspended talks after they could not agree on a proposed treaty to protect marine species and minerals in high seas covering 43% of Earth.
Proponents of a U.N. global high seas treaty for protecting biodiversity are set to resume talks in August with the goal of approving it as soon as possible.
ASEAN leaders pushed back at China, asserting a 1982 U.N. treaty should serve as the basis for resolving disputes over claims in the South China Sea.
Concerns about climate change's rapid rate of advance in the far north drove three years of talks on commercial fishing.
Diplomats, experts and international organizations are negotiating a new treaty aimed at protecting the rich biodiversity of open oceans against commercial pressures.
