Iran Rejects Foreign Forces in Caspian Region

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, April 29, 2002

Iran Rejects Foreign Forces in Caspian Region

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Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi on Monday voiced his country's opposition to any foreign forces in the Caspian region and said that their presence will only complicate the situation there, the IRAN news agency reported.

The spokesman stressed that the foreign forces, invited by some littoral states, will not help settle existing issues, saying that the Caspian Sea should be a "sea of peace, friendship and cooperation."

Asefi also urged regional states to settle their differences through cooperation and coordination.

Underlining the need for adoption of a legal regime to govern the energy-rich waters, Asefi said that any kind of cooperation among littoral states would only be recognized or become effective until the states decide on a legal regime.

"Useful and constructive discussions among leaders of the Caspian littoral states should be encouraged," he said, adding that Iran looks forward to a solution that takes into account the interests of all the regional countries as a whole.

A two-day summit of the Caspian Sea littoral states, held in the Turkmen capital of Ashkhabad to discuss ways of carving up the sea, wound up last Wednesday without any deal.

However, presidents of the five coastal countries, namely Iran, Russia, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, voiced their readiness to hold future talks to determine the Caspian legal regime.

During the summit, Iranian President Mohammad Khatami reiterated Iran's view that common sovereignty on the sea is "the best choice" for the littoral states while voicing opposition to any unilateral action on tapping the waters, the third largest energy reserves in the world after the Gulf region and Siberia.

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