India moves to revive stalled talks with Pakistan over IPI gas pipeline

21 November 2007

Mumbai: Indian officials will soon meet their counterparts in Pakistan to resolve issues like transit fee that have stalled a trilateral agreement on the proposed multi-billion dollar gas pipeline from Iran to India via Pakistan.

Officials, however, did not give a time frame for such talks.

Since August, India has been keeping away from trilateral talks on the pipeline over what it called "unresolved bilateral issues" with Pakistan.

"A meeting between India and Pakistan on the IPI project is being proposed soon," minister of state for petroleum and natural gas Dinsha Patel said.

New Delhi and Islamabad have reached broad understanding on the transportation tariff payable to Pakistan for wheeling the gas through the pipeline passing through that country.

"Such multilateral projects involve protracted discussions, as all the aspects have to be carefully examined and deliberated upon to the satisfaction of the participating countries to protect each country''s interests as also to avoid any future problems in the successful operation of the project," Patel said.