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| World Home » Current Affairs » | Thu. Aug 28, 2008 |
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“Breakthrough” in gas pipeline project MIL/Hindu, Jun 28, 2008. Sujay Mehdudia New Delhi: June 28, 2008 - In a significant development that could a give a push to the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline project, India and Pakistan on Friday declared they had achieved a breakthrough in resolving all “bilateral commercial issues” that were blocking the implementation of the $7.4-billion project. New Delhi and Islamabad announced that the Petroleum Secretaries would hold talks on July 1 in Madrid to finalise a common strategy on issues such as Tehran’s demand of a price revision clause. Both India and Pakistan are opposed to the new clause and plan to make a joint case at the trilateral meeting that may take place in Tehran next month. Emerging from a meeting with Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Murli Deora here, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who also holds charge of Petroleum, said: “I am happy to announce that as far as Pakistan and India are concerned, we have resolved all bilateral issues. There is no issue whatsoever that needs to be addressed now.” India had been boycotting the IPI pipeline talks since August 2007 over the differences on the transit fee demanded by Pakistan for passage of gas through that country. Although differences were narrowed down during a meeting of Oil Ministers of the two countries in Islamabad in April, nothing was finalised. “Transit fee is a small issue. We have reached an agreement on the principles of charging transit fee. India remains fully committed to the project,” Mr. Deora said. Mr. Qureshi said his country had no issues with India’s demand that Iran hand over custody of gas on the India-Pakistan border and not on Iran-Pakistan border as suggested by Tehran to cut a transit risk through Pakistan. On the security of the pipeline, which has been of prime concern to New Delhi, Mr. Qureshi said: “Pakistan will address the security issue and provide foolproof security. This is a project which is mutually beneficial as Pakistan gains, India gains and obviously Iran gains.” Mr. Deora said India’s commitment to the project was articulated in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s comments that it was a “peace pipeline” between the three countries. “Last week, I met Iranian Oil Minister Gholam Hosein Nozari in Jeddah and a trilateral meeting will soon be held to work out the remaining issues,” he said. Mr. Qureshi said his nation faced gas deficit and was keen on importing gas through a pipeline from Iran with or without India.
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