MOSCOW HOPES FOR POSITIVE RESULT OF THE RUSSIAN-CIranian
SUMMIT








MOSCOW, 11 March.  (RIA "Nowosti" rIA-"Nowosti"-Korrespondent).
Moscow hopes that the forthcoming meeting of the presidents of Russia
and Iran, Vladimir Putin and Muhammad Khatami " opens ", " the door "
with the regulation of the points of issue in connection with the
legal definition of the status of the Kaspi sea.  This avowed Viktor
Kaljushny, representative of the president of Russia for the Kaspi sea
and deputy minister of foreign affairs of Russia, on a press
conference in Moscow.

He explained that the Iranian page expressed the desire to sign to the
results of the summit an assertion how this was the case after the
discussions of the Russian president with the guidance of Kazakhstan
and Aserbaidshans.

The common assertion created from the pages issues not all points of
issue over the problems of the Kaspi sea, said Kaljushny.  Large hopes
are set however according to it directly into the discussion of the
two presidents.

For the present status of the negotiations over the legal status of
the Kaspi sea the deputy minister of foreign affairs stated that had
succeeded in the passed year to bring the positions of the Kaspi
adjoining owners together more near whereby the central role in this
thing played evenly Russia.  " that is a large success, because
beforehand we seemed to be in a dead end ", described he.

On the other hand Kaljushny expressed a " appearing strange " over the
demand of the Iranian page to divide the Kaspi sea " fairly ".  It
described that if Teheran refers this position, then is unsolvable the
kaspische problem " in consideration of the existing agreement between
Russia and Kazakhstan ".

The deputy Minister noted that Moscow and Teheran lead an intensive
dialog:  However in the passed six months 6 meetings were held over
this question.  The interest of Iran in the solution of the kaspischen
problem is " welcome " according to Kaljushny, even if a positive
result is missing.

Quite different position represents - so Kaljushny - Turkmenistan,
which keeps out from any negotiations on the working plane.  Kaljushny
understands " the position Turkmen baschi, which a meeting of the
heads of state requires ".  It is however impossible to solve all
questions on these summits.  Evenly for this purpose one braeuchte
work meetings.