Jean – please explain!

Jean Urquart (Can he be serious? – SN, 19 March 13) seems very sure that a future Shetland not wishing to remain part of Scotland would have an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of only 12 miles, but I do not believe she is correct.

Look to the north – Faroe EEZ 200 miles, or the other side of the world – Falkland Islands EEZ 200 miles.  Mahdi Zahraa, writing in the European Journal of International Law, suggests that the boundary of any future EEZ around Orkney and Shetland would be negotiable, depending on the historic use of the surrounding seas.  He proposes an enclave as one possible “solution”, and writes:

“This enclaved zone, however, does not have to be restricted to 12 nautical miles. Rather, it can be left to the parties or the tribunal to decide the various widths of this zone taking into account other elements such as historic rights and fishing rights. It is also important to note that an equitable solution should not deprive the Orkney and Shetland Islands of mineral deposits off their coast.”

Given Shetlands fishing history, it would have a strong argument for the boundary of any EEZ to be the median with Faroe, Norway & Orkney, but perhaps Jean can explain why she thinks it should be restricted to only 12 miles?

Christopher Ritch
Gunnister
Unst