Votes enough to junk UNCLOS - opponents

WASHINGTON – Opponents of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) Treaty claim they have enough votes in the US Senate to prevent its ratification, but supporters say there is plenty of time to win over the undecided before a planned yearend vote.

Sen. Jim DeMint, a leader of efforts to block the treaty, said he recruited four more Republicans to side with his group, bringing to 34 the number of senators against the treaty.

The Washington Times said the headcount of treaty opponents – if the number stands – would make it impossible to reach the 67 votes needed to ratify the pact.

But aides to Sen. John Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat and Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman, said vote counts taken months before a proposed vote are just a snapshot of where politics are at this instant.