CAVIAR: Caspian States sign deal to protect caviar sea

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Caspian States Sign Deal to Protect Caviar Sea

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IRAN: November 6, 2003

 

 

TEHRAN - Caspian states this week backed an initiative to protect their

shared sea from overfishing and oil pollution, which is destroying the

world's main habitat for caviar sturgeon.

 

 

 

Environmental groups say wildlife in the Caspian Sea, the largest inland

body of water on Earth, is dying out. Stocks of sturgeon, the source of

prized caviar, have fallen by 90 percent since the late 1970s.

 

In a ceremony capping nearly a decade of effort, Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan,

Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan signed the framework agreement put forward by

the U.N. Environment Program to tackle the problem.

 

" The agreement will undoubtedly provide a suitable foundation for these

countries to interact and fulfill their commitments to the (Caspian's)

sensitive and fragile ecosystem, " Iranian President Mohammad Khatami said in

remarks carried on the official IRNA news agency.

 

In New York, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan hailed the signing as " a

significant step forward for the region. "

 

He also congratulated the five countries for " sending a message to their

people and to the world that multilateral cooperation for sustainable

development is not only essential, but possible, " a U.N. spokesman said.

 

" Once it has been ratified, this landmark treaty - which is the first

legally binding agreement between all five nations that share the Caspian

Sea - will benefit the health and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of

people, " the U.N. spokesman said.

 

The agreement, which the states must ratify, is aimed partly at reducing the

amount of sewage and industrial waste pumped into the sea.

 

" By signing this important new treaty the Caspian states are demonstrating

their firm commitment to saving the beautiful and resource-rich Caspian

Sea, " Iranian Vice President Masoumeh Ebtekar said through state media.

 

Countries are also being asked to deal with a species of jellyfish which has

recently entered the Caspian and thrown ecosystems out of balance.

 

The sea is being increasingly tapped for its oil reserves. But

environmentalists want oil companies working in the Caspian to invest in

equipment which is less likely to leak.

 

 

REUTERS NEWS SERVICE