TEHRAN -- The President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Seyed Mohammad Khatami, started his tour of five Caspian Sea littoral states whose main aim is to define a legal regime for the world's largest enclosed sea.

Iran has always emphasized on the non-intervention of alien countries in the regional affairs and that no country except the littoral states is eligible to decide about its affairs.

A Parliament representative from Khawaf and Rashtkhar, Ibrahim Bisamali, maintained that the Caspian Sea problem will not be settled unless the recent regional developments are also taken into consideration.

He added that the Caspian Sea issue is, itself, under the influence of recent developments in the Middle East and more pronounced U.S. intervention in the regional affairs.

The member of the Majlis Commission of Mines and Industries underlined that the U.S. interventionist policies in Central Asia, the Afghan crisis and its new strategy in the Caspian Sea affairs are quiet evident.

Bisalami pointed to the fact that the Caspian Sea issue should be examined with a view to Iran-U.S. relations on one side and close ties of some Caspian Sea regional countries to Washington on the other side.

He recalled that the Caspian Sea is a lake which is under no defined international regulations and defining a legal regime for it in the short-term and under the influence of transnational forces would be a difficult task.

The deputy emphasized that the Caspian Sea issue is an international one possessing different historical, legal, political, economic and environmental aspects, which needs a longer time to be settled.

He concluded that any hasty decision on the issue could cause regional and international crisis.

Speaking on the issue, an Iranian expert said that certain countries outside the Caspian Sea region have been trying to interfere in the status of the sea, but only the regional countries can determine its fate.

Minavand, an expert on Central Asia and Caucasus, said that after the collapse of the Soviet Union and emergence of four new states they tried to exploit the Caspian Sea natural resources and tried to obtain necessary financial means to do so.

He added that a mixed strategy of unilateralism and nationalist tendencies has caused the present situation and this can even pose a threat to the security and national interests of these countries in the long run.

Minavand underlined that after the Persian Gulf events the stability of the Caspian Sea littoral states and alternative resources for oil and gas came into the attention of Russia and the United States.

He recalled that it is estimated that the Caspian Sea region may posses between 175 to 200 billion barrels of oil, but a number of oil companies have discontinued their activities because of poor profit.

Minavand in conclusion pointed to the fact that the government and the Majlis in the Islamic Republic of Iran would stress on their stances with respect to the Caspian Sea and would defend their historical, traditional and legal rights in the Caspian Sea.

Meanwhile, Secretary of the Expediency Council (EC) Mohsen Rezaie here Tuesday stressed that Iran's interests in the Caspian Sea must be protected and said that any step back in the face of external aggressions is condemned by the Iranian people.

In a meeting with the students of Sharif University, Rezaie recalled the importance of the oil resources, including those in the Caspian Sea, for Iran's economy and said putting any geographical boundaries on Iran's energy resources would harm its interests.

He recalled the visit of President Khatami to Turkmenistan to attend a summit of Caspian littoral states, and said the Iranian people expect that President Khatami champions Iran's rights and interests regarding the issue of the sea resources.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Rezaie said Iran's security is closely linked with its interests in the Caspian Sea, as well as those in the Persian Gulf, and stressed that Tehran cannot remain indifferent to the decisions on the fate of regional resources.

The former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said Iran had the ability to support the peace and security of the region.

He stressed that any effort to strengthen regional stability, without considering the pivotal role of the Islamic Republic, would be a failure.

Rezaie further stressed that the Islamic Republic has to abstain from indifferent position and take a more active stance to safeguard its national interests, and have a stronger contribution to the establishment of regional stability.