The following information was provided during a 28 January 1997 telephone interview with a French journalist who was posted in Tehran between 1992 and 1996.

On several occassions the source travelled to the Caspian Sea area for work and leisure activities. The source added that during his four years in Iran he never saw a checkpoint when travelling to the Caspian Sea or in the area of Rasht and Gorgan. Checkpoints are now rare in Iran, and there are only a few of them on the borbers with Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The source added this could change if there is a significant event that threathens the security of the country. There is a permanent checkpoint on the Tehran-Chalus road near the Caspian Sea because of a military camp, but people travelling to the Caspian Sea do not have to use the Tehran-Chalus road.

The source stated that the roads between Tehran and the Caspian Sea are usually busy with Iranians going to the sea for a weekend. The traffic is usually heavy around the Caspian Sea, taking four to five hours to travel by bus or car between Rasht and Gorgan, and between three to four hours between Tehran and the Caspian Sea. It is easy to travel by bus to the Caspian Sea area from Tehran or any other important city.

The source stated that a wanted person would not take a bus or taxi to escape the authorities, because all bus or taxi terminals are under surveillance from the security forces.

The following information was provided during a 29 January 1997 telephone interview with a specialist on Iran in England.

The source stated that there are no roadblocks or checkpoints in the Caspian Sea area, but there are few checkpoints near the Iraqi border because of the instability in the Kurdish areas of Iraq.

The source added that it takes three to four hours to travel the road between Tehran and the Caspian Sea by car or by bus, and three to four hours to travel by car or bus between Rasht and Gorgan. There are no roadblocks or checkpoints on these roads, which are usually busy with weekend or holidays traffic, or with commercial transportation to Azerbaijan.

The following information was provided during a 31 January 1997 interview held in Ottawa with a former professor of international affairs at Behesti University in Tehran. The source has also been a research consultant with the Zentrum Moderner Orient in Berlin and a fellow researcher at St. Anthony's College at Oxford University in England.

The source stated that the Tehran-Caspian Sea road is around 180 km long. The road is easy to travel and by car or bus the trip would take three to four hours. The Rasht-Gorgan road is also easy to travel and the trip would take three to four hours by bus or car.

The source stated that under normal circumstances the area does not have checkpoints or roadblocks. The source added this could change if there is a significant event that threathens the security of the country. The source indicated that a wanted person would not represent such a threat.

For additional information on this subject, please consult the attached document.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

Former professor of international affairs, Behesti University, Tehran. 31 January 1997. Interview.

French journalist based in Tehran from 1992 to 1996, Paris. 28 January 1997. Telephone interview.

Specialist on Iran, England. 29 January 1997. Telephone interview.

St. Vincent, David. 1992. Iran: A Travel Survival Kit. Victoria, Aust.: Lonely Planet Publications, pp. 296-321.