Iranian oil companies will take part in tenders for the development of new oil blocs in the Kazakh sector of the Caspian Sea. \"Both state and private oil companies from Iran will apply for Kazakhstan\'s tenders for the development of blocs in the Kazakh sector of the Caspian Sea,\" Iranian Ambassador to Kazakhstan Murtazo Saffori told Interfax. He said the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) and its subsidiaries, as well as the private companies Petrokhazar and Petropars would take part in the tenders. The undefined status of the Caspian Sea is not an obstacle for Iranian companies, as they will be working in the Kazakh sector and there is a legal basis for cooperation there. Tehran feels negative about projects in the southern area of the Caspian Sea, where Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkmenistan have not settled their relations, the diplomat stressed. The Kazakh president signed a state program for the development of oil and gas fields in Kazakhstan\'s sector of the Caspian Sea in May 2003. The program will remain in effect until 2015 and will be implemented in three phases. It is planned to create conditions for the comprehensive development of Caspian oil and gas fields in the first phase (2003- 2005), provide for the intensive development of the fields in the second phase (2006-2010), and stabilize the oil production in the third phase (2011-2015). The program will enlarge the annual oil production to 100 million tonnes and the annual gas production to 63 billion cubic meters by 2015. An optimistic forecast says that about $6 billion will be invested in the projects in 2003-2005, about $10.3 billion from 2006-2011, and about $15.6 billion between 2011-2015. The minimum investments are estimated at $2.8 billion in 2003- 2005, $7 billion from 2006-2010, and $11.4 billion between 2011-2015. (Interfax-Kazakhstan)