December 30, 2002	Monday	Shawwal 25, 1423

TEHRAN, Dec 29: Iran’s foreign minister was summoned to parliament on Sunday to be given a grilling over his handling of a dispute on the boundaries of the resource-rich Caspian sea.

During a 40 minute exchange with dozens of MPs, Kamal Kharazi was accused of failing to assert Iran’s rights in the dispute between it and Turkmenistan, Russia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.

“Our problem is our passive policy towards other Caspian countries,” reformist MP Abdullah Sohrabi was heard arguing in the debate, carried live on state radio.

“Explain why your diplomacy has not been active?” he added, firing off a barrage of questions on behalf of 86 deputies over the sea, thought to hold the world’s third largest oil and gas reserves.

Iran, backed by Turkmenistan, insists the five countries around the Caspian should each have an equal 20 percent of the sea bed. That would given Iran control of prospective oil fields near the sea’s centre that Azerbaijan insists belong to it.

But Russia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, whose Caspian coastlines are longer, want the sea divided into portions in which sizes would be based on the length of each country’s shoreline. Such a division would give Iran only a 13-percent share.

During the long-running dispute, Kharazi has been accused of failing to push for a resolution of the issue and broker deals with other Caspian states, especially given that Turkmenistan — under pressure from Moscow — has been seen as wavering in its support for the Iranian position.

Some MPs have also argued that Iran should have 50 percent of the Caspian, and that it should not pay the price of the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Others have argued that Iran’s appalling relationship with the United States has weakened its negotiating position.

Kharazi responded to the grilling by saying that “the issue cannot be solved immediately”.

“We should underline our demands and not hurry, and not be worried about securing our rights,” he said.

“We cannot rely on foreigners,” asserted the minister. “Some mistakenly think that we should rely on Russia and some think that we should reconcile with big powers in order to achieve our rights.

“This idea is simple-minded, and is incompatible with the philosophy of revolution and our independence. We rely on our own thoughts, independence, calculations and acts and we do not rely on foreigners.”

Kharazi said his policy was paying off.

“Other countries are ready to negotiate with us over dividing the resources, and these are important achievements. I am not worried about the negotiations, and I think the talks have been progressing very well.

“We agree on the borders, and concerning the division of energy resources we should reach an agreement,” he said.

At the end of the session, the MPs who presented questions said they were unconvinced by Kharazi’s explanations, and had forwarded their concerns to parliament’s foreign affairs committee.

STONING: Iran’s judiciary will no longer order executions by stoning and has told judges to issue alternative punishments for adultery, officials said on Sunday.

“The head of the judiciary has sent a ruling to judges telling them not to order stonings,” member of parliament Jamileh Kadivar said, adding that the decision would be upheld pending a permanent change in the law.

The European Union, which is currently engaged in human rights talks linked to landmark trade negotiations, has been asking Iran to impose a moratorium on executions by stoning.

Iran’s reformist camp, which controls parliament and the presidency under Mohammad Khatami, has also been urging a change, along with a string of visiting foreign dignitaries, .

Although EU diplomats here said the stoning ruling will give a welcome early boost to the thorny discussions, Kadivar insisted the change was not a result of outside pressure.

“It is not new, and it is not related to talks with the EU,” she asserted, pointing to the constant process of jurisprudence.

“I believe that it is not a Quranic verdict, and considering the fact that the Shia religion is innovative and changing, Shiism can consider methods that take into account public satisfaction,” she said.—AFP