TEHRAN -- Visiting Russian Caspian envoy Viktor Kalyuzhny Tuesday highlighted the need to set up an independent arbitration body comprising legal experts of the sea's littoral states to settle disputes over Caspian legal regime, IRNA reported. Kalyuzhny, speaking at the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said Russia attaches great significance to negotiated settlement of disputes through arbitration, stressing that other powers" should never interfere in the issue."

"The Caspian littoral states agree that the prevailing legal regime is ineffective, and have already developed a consensus on a starting point to draw up a new formula in that connection," he said.

Kalyuzhny stressed that Russia considers the 1921 and 1940 agreements as valid, stressing that this, as the basis for Caspian legal regime, is a starting point in Russia's position.

The five littoral states of the Caspian Sea, namely Iran, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia, have still to come up with a formula to govern the exploitation of its resources.

In efforts to arrive at a consensus, Iran is calling for application of the condominium concept or principle of common sovereignty, and has warned that it will treat as null and void any unilateral deal to explore the sea's resources before a legal regime is established.

The Islamic Republic believes the 1921 and 1940 agreements between Iran and the Soviet Union are still valid and should be enforced until a new regime is drawn up.

"The Russian Federation, as the successor of the Soviet Union, will observe all the commitments arising from the 1921 and 1940 agreements," the envoy vowed.

Relying on the agreements, he stressed, would facilitate efforts to resolve the Caspian legal regime, but reminded that the agreements are not absolute, and that they must never be referred to as the highest authority.

Kalyuzhny also said that the littoral states agree that the Caspian legal regime concerns all the five countries, and that such a regime covers the energy resources of the sea, including its Hydrocarbon reservoirs. The Russian envoy regretted though that the Caspian legal regime still remains "unresolved."

"Russia's policyline toward the issue has not been free from mistakes, but we will never accept the accusations that we have done nothing serious to follow up the case," Kalyuzhny said.

He added that Russia's original stance regarding the Caspian legal regime has improved over the past years, as Moscow has been trying to find a solution that would coordinate the interests of all littoral states "as best as possible".

"We have noticed that such solution would be facilitated only through compromise and by taking into account the realities that sometimes change the most ideal plans," the envoy said.

Kalyuzhny said Caspian littoral states have still arrived at no conclusion on how to divide the seabed resources, stressing that Russia believes the best approach to the effect is dividing the seabed on a "modified median line".

The Russian envoy further blamed the lack of due laws to exploit the Caspian seabed resources as the main bone of tension between the shoreline states, stressing that any agreement in that area would promote mutual confidence and understanding among neighboring countries.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Kalyuzhny recalled the issue of Caspian pollution as a prime source of concern for the littoral states, stressing that Moscow strongly urges the countries to conclude agreements to facilitate collective efforts to tackle the dilemma.

"The best alternative to solve the issue is to reinforce the consensus of Caspian coastal states, and this must be carried out not through only forming a simple convention, but through expert agreements in that connection," he said. "It is regrettable to see that after a decade-long debates on the issue, these nations have not yet arrived at a consensus regarding the due concluded agreements."

Meanwhile, Kalyuzhny, heading a delegation of legal experts and members of the Duma, arrived in Tehran on Monday to discuss ways to settle Caspian Sea problems.

Russia will welcome any agreements between Iran and its neighbors, because it regards them as another step toward a convention defining the Caspian Sea status, Viktor Kalyuzhny, head of a Russian delegation, presidential representative for definition of the Caspian Sea status and deputy foreign minister, said Tuesday.

He said the consultations in Tehran had been useful and expressed hope for progress in the status definition.

This visit of the Russian delegation is rather important, because the delegation is made up of three Duma deputies representing Committees on Geopolitics, Defense and Natural Resources, Kalyuzhny replied to ITAR-TASS.

The visit aims to inform Iran about the Russian position on the Caspian Sea status and the viewpoint of Russian Parliament members about the regional problem.

Deputies of the Iranian Parliament, especially members of the Commission on Security and Foreign Policy, listened to the Russian delegation with interest. They were given a written statement on the Russian position on all aspects of the problem.

The Duma deputies suggested creating an interparliamentary union of Caspian states, Kalyuzhny said.