Mexico, U.S. Agree to Divide Unclaimed Area in Gulf of Mexico
The Associated Press

MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexico and the United States signed an agreement
to divide up an unclaimed area of the Gulf of Mexico that lies beyond
both countries' 200-mile territorial limits.
The agreement is expected to sort out potentially lucrative rights to
offshore oil exploration in an area in the center of the Gulf
informally known as "the doughnut hole."

But both countries agreed to a 10-year moratorium on drilling for
studies on where any oil deposits might lie, in order to ensure both
countries get an equal chance to tap into them.

Under the deal, Mexico obtained rights to about 60 percent of the
6,500-sq. mile area in the Gulf, and the United States 40 percent.

U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey Davidow called the agreement, signed
Wednesday in Mexico City, "a historic moment in relations between our
two countries."

"The negotiations were always difficult, but the result was equitable
for both sides," Davidow said.