THE STATES OF THE CASPIAN BASIN WILL CONTINUE " THE SHARING " OF THE
CASPIAN SEA








MOSCOW, March 13.  (Corr. Ria " Novosti ").  The representant special
one of the Russian president for the Caspian one and vice-minister for
the Businesses etrangeres, Viktor Kalioujni, went has Astana, the
capital of Kazakhstan or the second round of the negotiations on the
problem of the definition of the legal statute of Caspian will take
place Tuesday.

To find a principle methodologic making it possible to define
oneself-saying it line mediane modifiee which will share the bottom of
Caspian between Russia and Kazakhstan will be in the center of these
negotiations.

The agreement on the trace of this line appears in an agreement signs
in 1998 by the presidents of the two countries, Vladimir Poutine and
Noursoultan Nazarbaiev.  It will be already the second stage in the
solution of the problem of the definition of the new statute of
Caspian, A declares Viktor Kalioujni before his departure for Astana.


The position of Moscow and Astana face has the solution of this
problem is practically similar.  Russia and Kazakhstan propose to
share sea-bed between all the countries of the Caspian basin while
following the line mediane modifiee, the water level of Caspian having
to be has the provision of all the countries concern.

After the recent visit of Vladimir Poutine has Bakou, Azerbaidjan A
accepts this solution of the problem, which was prononcait up to now
in favour of the sharing of sea-bed and the water level in national
sectors, on the basis of the line mediane modifiee.

As for Iran, it insists on what the Caspian one either has the
provision of all the countries, if not it should be partagee in
national sectors, or 20% for each bordering country.  All recently
still, this standpoint was partagee by Achkhabad.  But has the recent
meeting of the working groups loads of the Caspian behaviour in
January has Teheran on the level of the vice-ministers for the
Businesses etrangeres Turkmenistan A gives has to understand that it
could accept the position of Moscow, Astana and Bakou.

With the negotiations has Astana, the interlocutors will have moreover
to examine the problems of the membership of certain litigious points
locate on the septentrional continental shelf of the Caspian one.
They will study in particular the principle which would make it
possible to define the statute of the three islands revendiquees by
Russia and Kazakhstan.  They will examine also the preparation has a
node of the heads of the States of the Caspian basin prevu for April.