Iran Warns of Caspian Instability From Foreign Interference

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, May 15, 2002

Iran Warns of Caspian Instability From Foreign Interference

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A top Iranian security official warned Tuesday that any foreign interference or presence in the Caspian region would jeopardize stability of the five coastal countries, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.

Hassan Rowhani, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), told Russian Ambassador to Tehran Alexander Maryasov that the Caspian states need to make decisions based on the common understanding to exploit the sea resources.

The SNSC secretary dismissed any bilateral or trilateral agreement about using the resources of the Caspian Sea as lacking legal validity.

He also urged the Caspian states to take measures to protect the environment of the landlocked sea, warning that pollution would be harmful to all littoral countries.

The Caspian Sea is estimated to contain the world's third largest reserves of oil and gas after the Persian Gulf and Siberia.

Last month, leaders from Iran, Russia, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan gathered in the Turkmen capital of Ashkhabad to narrow their differences over how to divide the energy-rich waters.

Of the five Caspian members, Iran and Turkmenistan have been pushing for an agreement to secure an equal sharing, or 20 percent, of the underwater wealth, a formula opposed by Russia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.

The latter three favor a principle of carving up the sea into national sectors, corresponding roughly to the length of each country's shoreline. This might leave Iran with only 13 percent of the underwater wealth.

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