UNCLOS regime empirically has already shown that it is a stabilizing force

At a recent meeting of the Non-Aligned States in Cuba, for example, member states reaffirmed their support for applying the principles set forth in the Convention to the maritime territorial disputes in the East China Seas. In a more specific example, in December 2003, Syria adopted a new maritime law that rescinded its previous 35-nautical mile (nm) territorial sea, establishing a 12- nm territorial sea in conformity with the Convention.¹²⁶ At the same time, Syria rolled back a 41-nm contiguous zone claim to a 24-nm contiguous zone¹²⁷ and adopted a 200-nm EEZ,¹²⁸ with these changes placing Syria in compliance with Convention in most respects. These provisions mark an improvement over previous Syrian government positions in relation to maritime claims, although Syria still has some work to do to modify other excessive coastal state claims and enter into complete compliance with international law.