India, Pakistan to go ahead with IPI pipeline

18 June 2007

Mumbai: An Iranian delegation will visit India next month to finalise an agreement on the over $7-billion pipeline to bring gas from the fuel-rich nation to India via Pakistan.

"Only two weeks back, the secretary (ministry of petroleum) was in Tehran and after one month, they (Iranian officials) would be coming to meet us," petroleum minister Murli Deora said.

He said discussions were on with Iran and Pakistan on gas pricing and the pipeline route to India, adding that major issues have been sorted out while pending issues like transportation fees and alignment would be worked out soon.

In Pakistan, foreign office spokesman Tasnim Aslam said Pakistan is determined to implement the IPI project and transfer Iran`s gas to Pakistan and India.

Terming US skepticism on the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline as "undesirable", Islamabad has said it was determined to implement the project.

The comment by US assistant secretary of state for South Asian affairs Richard Boucher is not in the line with Pakistan`s interests and was undesirable, she said.