Caspian
Bandar-e Anzali, May 3, IRNA -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei on Thursday reiterated Iran's rejection of any bilateral
accord that would allocate resources of the strategic Caspian Sea,
saying the legal status of the oil-rich sea should be defined on the
basis of an agreement acceptable by all five littoral states.
"The legal status of the Caspian must be determined by all the
five. Bilateral accords cannot bind other states as far as determing
the legal status of the sea is concerned," Ayatollah Khamenei told
thousands of people in this Caspian port city on the third day of a
tour of Gilan province.
"On the basis of international law, the Caspian Sea should be
shared by all the five littoral states and no foreign power can
interfere in affairs related to the sea," he said.
Ayatollah Khamenei also called for a follow-up of Iran's share of
the gas and oil resources of the Caspian Sea.
"The Islamic Republic will not allow any power to trample on its
rights," he said.
Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan are the five
countries bordering the Caspian Sea.
The above-mentioned littoral states are scheduled to meet in the
Turkmen capital Ashkhabad in October to decide on a legal regime for
the waters.
The states have still to come up with a legal regime that would
use and exploitation of the sea, particularly its rich oil reserves,
said to be the largest after Siberia and the Persian Gulf.
The Islamic Republic has repeatedly indicated that it will agree
to an equitable sharing of the sea's resources, which would give it a
20 percent share.
Iran believes that agreements reached between Iran and Russia in
1921 and 1940 are the most suitable precedents for deciding on a
legal regime. The accords, it believes, will meet the interests of
the five littoral states, foremost being the proportional sharing of
the sea's resources.
The coastal states of the sea have postponed several scheduled
meetings on the legal regime of the Caspian Sea, the last scheduled
for early March has again been postponed to a later date.
AK/LS
End |
