Maybe it was. But if it causes the U.S. Senate finally to weigh anchor and ratify the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, it will have been a good thing for the United States, although that's probably not what the Russians had in mind.

The Law of the Sea Treaty, as it is popularly known, has been around since 1982. President Reagan opposed it because he did not agree with its undersea mining provisions. After those were adjusted in 1998, President Clinton signed it. But the Senate has declined to ratify it, mostly because right-wing think tanks and the senators who listen to them still oppose the treaty.

But like it or not, the treaty has gained the force of international law. Most nations have signed on. The Senate opponents are only hurting U.S. interests by holding out. When the treaty comes up for consideration again this month, the rest of the Senate, including Utah's Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett, should vote to bring ratification safely into port.

The reasons are many. Because the treaty governs so many issues, it has been called an international constitution for the government of the oceans. It covers all kinds of questions, from the navigation rights of warships and international merchant shipping through narrow straits to the territorial limits of coastal nations to mining on the seabed to fishing and the conservation of marine life.

Can the Russians claim that seabed beneath the North Pole? The United States and Canada say no. The treaty says that coastal nations can claim jurisdiction to the seabed and its subsoil within an Exclusive Economic Zone 200 miles offshore. If the continental shelf continues beyond that limit, the nation can claim the seabed up to 350 miles from its coast, or even farther, depending upon geological conditions. The treaty creates an international panel to resolve disputes.

Among those who are urging the Senate to ratify the treaty are the U.S. armed services, particularly the Navy; oil, gas and mining firms; fishing fleets; shipping outfits; marine researchers; and environmental groups.

A nation can't fully participate in the treaty's benefits until it ratifies the deal. The years of Senate delay already have put the United States at a disadvantage. The Senate should delay no longer.