India hasn’t responded on gas pipeline: Pakistan
By IANSTuesday, November 17, 2009
ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI - Pakistan Tuesday said India had not responded positively on a proposed three-nation gas pipeline from Iran, contradicting New Delhi’s position that it was keen on the project subject to pricing and security issues being resolved.
Talking to journalists, Pakistan’s Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Naveed Qamar said Islamabad had tried to contact New Delhi but had not received any response.
“We want to extend talks with New Delhi on the IPI gas pipeline project,” Online news agency quoted the minister as saying.
In New Delhi, Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, during delegation-level talks with his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki Monday, discussed the $7.5 billion tri-nation gas pipeline that seeks to bring Iranian gas to India through Pakistan.
The Iranian side pressed for accelerating negotiations to resolve and address Indian concerns about the pricing of Iranian gas and the security of the pipeline, which is expected to pass through the violence-prone areas of Pakistan.
A joint working group will meet in New Delhi to resolve these issues, it was announced after the talks.
