India part of gas pipeline project: Iran officials
Iran-India, Politics, 5/5/2006

Iran's Deputy Oil Minister Mohammad Hadi Nejad-Hosseinian said in New Delhi that India is an inseparable part of gas pipeline project between Iran, Pakistan and India.

Nejad-Hosseinian who was here on a two day mission to discuss with Morli Deora oil and natural gas minister of India on bilateral issues including LNG deal and Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline exclusively spoke to IRNA before his departure from New Delhi on Wednesday night.

Nejad-Hosseinian while emphasizing the importance and objectives of his visit to India said, "Last week, after visiting Islamabad some of the Pakistani and Indian dailies published a rumor that India has been kept out of the IPI gas pipeline project, which is completely false." He denied the reports of these papers and added that India is an integral and inseparable part of the IPI pipeline popularly known as "peace pipeline." Iranian deputy oil minister continued," Apart from negotiations with the Indian minister and other people in the Ministry of Oil and Natural Gas, I informed the Indian counterpart of my recent discussions with Pakistani authorities and ensured them that there has not been any plan to keep India out of the project." He added that both Pakistan and India have been given a time limit up to June to decide about the finalization of the project and submission of their proposals so that an agreement could be signed and constructional operation started at the earliest time.

The deputy minister while expressing his optimism on the future of this project said," Undoubtedly, this pipeline will play a vital role in the economic development of the region specially the three countries involved and since an increase in the demand of gas is inevitable, inclusion of a second pipeline on the same route is being studied." Likewise Morli Deora, he also denied India succumbing to any US pressure against this project and said, even if at all there is any pressure, India has boldly resisted against it.

He said as per scheduled the next round of tri-lateral meeting of the joint working group of Iran, Pakistan and India would be held in Islamabad in the third week of May which would pave the way for the meeting of the three ministers in Tehran in the month of June expected to sign the final agreement for the construction of the 2,700 kilometer long pipeline which may cost around 7.4 billion dollar and about 3 to 4 years to be built before final operation and inaugural supply.

Nejad-Hosseinian said,"I am strongly of the view that this pipeline would bring economic prosperity and sustainable development for the people of the region and countries involved and above all shall bring permanent peace and stability to South Asia.

On the possibility of India going for Qatar under sea pipeline project or Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India proposed pipeline, he did not find them economically cost-effective for India and said, IPI project is the best option as far as duration of supply and price are concerned.

The deputy minister on the LNG deal with India and the reason for the delay in its supply said, as per agreement with India mentioned in the deal, the LNG deal has to be ratified by National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) and it cannot ratify it unless the High Council of Iranian Economy does the same.

Nejad-Hosseinian explained that the deal becomes effective after the above-mentioned ratifications but before that it has no legal binding on any of the signing parties.

He shouldered the delay mainly on presidential election and appointment of a new government in Iran while not denying the disagreement of both sides on the final pricing of five million tones of LNG deal per annum.

He however, hoped that when the Indian minister meets his Iranian counterpart In Tehran in the month of June, the differences on the deal would be resolved.

In his concluding remarks the deputy minister pointed out about the depth of Iran-India relations and said Iran and India are two of the oldest civilizations of world that lived together, nurtured identical civilizations, history and cultures and that he is confident that nothing can harm this ancient friendship.

"I am confident that, with the supply of gas through this pipeline not only our historically valuable relationship will be cemented, but also it will be instrumental in expanding the bilateral friendship in all spheres, changing the whole economic and political scenario of the region and transform these three countries into joint economic and trade hub of the world.

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