By empty (9/24/2002 issue of the CACI Analyst)

PRIVATEThe signing of an agreement on division of the Caspian Sea floor between Russia and Azerbaijan is the major result of Azerbaijani President Geidar Ali yev's visit to Moscow. Having spent several years working out the details of the document, the sides met on Monday and divided adjacent sections of the Caspian to the mutual contentment of Russia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, Aliyev told the students of Moscow's elite Institute of Foreign Relations. The president said he hoped Iran and Turkmenistan too would find a solution to the problem of dividing adjacent sections of the Caspian.

By empty (9/24/2002 issue of the CACI Analyst)

In Moscow on Monday, Russian and Azerbaijani Presidents Vladimir Putin and Heydar Aliyev signed an agreement on the division of contiguous sectors of the Caspian Sea. The document stipulates that the two countries will divide the Caspian seabed and its resources "based on a median line drawn at an equal distance [from the coasts] and modified at the parties' agreement and taking into account commonly recognized international legal standards and the practice established in the Caspian." Russia previously signed a similar document with Kazakhstan.

By empty (9/24/2002 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Afghanistan is to stop collecting customs tariffs on exports in order to boost trade and help rebuild its shattered economy, the country's finance minister has said. He made the pledge a week ahead of a 60-nation meeting in Washington to co-ordinate aid for Afghanistan and discuss the best use of about $4.5bn of promised donations.