ARRESTS OVERSHADOWED KHATAMI’S VISIT TO MOSCOW

By Nina Kamran, IPS Diplomatic Correspondent

MOSCOW 12 Mar. (IPS) Iranian President Mohammad Khatami and his Russian host Vladimir Putin stressed Monday the two neighbours would go ahead with close military co-operation and opposed attempts by "foreign powers" to expand their sphere of influence in the Central Asia, Caucasus and Caspian Sea regions, a clear reference to both Washington and the US-dominated North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).

Hojjatoleslam Khatami had arrived in the Russian Capital as hours before his departure from Tehran and after a speech he had pronounced in the Majles (parliament) the conservatives had dealt him probably the most humiliating blow ever by arresting Sunday evening some 40 people, among them prominent personalities affiliated to the religious-nationalist movement. (See related story).

"There is no obstacle in the road to developing our bilateral co-operation", the two presidents stressed during a joint press conference held at the end of their first round of negotiations.

Iranian observers said the arrest of the group of nationalist-religious activist on the eve of Mr. Khatami’s departure for Moscow was a deliberate move ordered by Ayatollah Ali Khameneh’i, the lamed and fundamentalist leader of the Islamic regime of Iran to remind the Russians that the man they receive is nothing but a puppet without any real power.

They noted that same kind of crisis for Mr. Khatami has been created before his earlier state visits to Italy, France and Germany.

Nevertheless, Mr. Putin and his Iranian guest had the occasion to make a "tour d’horizon", reviewing the situation in war-torn Afghanistan, in Iraq, Central Asia, the Middle East Peace Process and the bloody fighting between Israel and the Palestinians and above all the status in the oil-rich Caspian Sea.

Khatami arrived in Moscow accompanied by ministers of Foreign Affairs, Oil and Defence as well as a 100 men-strong delegation, the first by an Iranian leader in nearly 40 years, but the second high level visit after that paid to Moscow in 1985 by Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, then the powerful Speaker of the Majles and in charge of military establishment.

It was he who signed the first comprehensive arms purchases from Soviet Union worth some seven billions US Dollars.

Though the joint statement issued at end of the meeting in Kremlin did not made any mention to any arms deal, but informed sources said Moscow expects to ship between 3 to 7 billions US Dollars modern weapons to Iran and take order for new nuclear power stations.

Russia is already building Iran’s first atom powered electricity plant in Bushehr, on the Persian Gulf, but the work is progressing very slowly, due to financial and some technical problems, as 70 per cent of the original project, started by Germany, was finished when Iraq attacked Iran and bombed out the plant.

A top Iranian official last week criticised Russian contractors for delays in the project.

Mr. Putin said the sale to Iran of conventional arms was not against Russian international engagements and Iran, a major player in the region, had all the rights to buy arms needed for its self-defence.

Diplomatic sources said oblivion of Mr. Putin’s assurances, the United States regards the military aspect of the Iran-Russia agreement with suspicion, specially after Kremlin unilaterally annulled last November an accord signed in 1995 by the former American vice-President Al Gore with the then Russian Premier Viktor Chernomyrdin aimed at ending Russian modern arms sales and especially transfer of nuclear and missile technologies to the Islamic Republic that Washington has listed among "rogue States".

A Russian Deputy Foreign Minister said Moscow would continue with its military co-operation "on the open" and keeping in mind international accords.

For his part, Mr. Khatami assured that Iran-Russia co-operation threatened no country rather is aimed at guaranteeing stability and security at the regional and international levels.

On the thorny issue of the Caspian Sea, where Iran insist on the validity of past agreements signed between the Imperial government of Iran and the then Soviet Union

Iran hopes to get Russian backing for a plan to give an equal share of the Caspian's oil and gas wealth believed to be the third largest after Persian Gulf and Siberia to all littoral states, that are Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.

An alternative plan, backed by Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, would give Iran only 13 percent -- and without much oil in it.

However, the two sides signed a bilateral agreement and issued a joint statement on the Caspian Sea, but no detail was provided.

President Khatami said the improved ties between Iran and Russia not only would benefit the tow nations but also would be to the benefit of other regional states.
Putin termed Iran as "a great and important country" and said that Tehran-Moscow relations have become an important factor on the international stage.

He voiced Russia's readiness to cooperate with Iran in the area of combating drug trafficking and terrorism.

He added that all potentials should be used to promote Tehran-Moscow cooperation to a level that deserves the Iranian and Russian nations.
He expressed hope that Iran and Russia would implement formerly reached contracts, use all potentials available and sign new contracts and agreements to bolster mutual cooperation.

Putin expressed hope that Iran-Russia co-operation would serve their mutual interests and positively affect the region and the world, a reference to restoration of peace in Tajikistan as a good example of cooperation between Tehran and Moscow.
Besides Putin, the Iran President had also to hold talks with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov and Gennady Seleznev, head of the Russian State Duma (parliament).

Russian Communist Party Leader Gennady Zyuganov said that President Mohammad Khatami's visit to Russia will lead to a major strengthening of Tehran-Moscow ties and is in line with efforts at preserving the stability and security of the region as well as of the world. ENDS KHATAMI MOSCOW 13301