Iran warns India to decide on gas pipeline, or it would negotiate with China

[Naveed Yaseen]

* Official says India has limited time to decide on deal

Daily Times Monitor

LAHORE: Iran’s ambassador to India says Delhi must decide on a multi-billion dollar gas pipeline deal soon or else they (Iran) will talk to other countries, BBC news reported on Wednesday.

Seyed Mehdi Nabizedeh said Iran was willing to offer India only limited time. The planned pipeline will transport gas from Iran to India through Pakistan, and is seen as crucial to meeting Indian energy needs. Iran and Pakistan signed the deal in May this year.

Analysts say the pipeline could contribute to regional security, as Iran, Pakistan and India would depend on each other more. The deal has been stalled by disputes over transit fees and security issues.

Not unlimited: “We went ahead and signed the agreement with Pakistan. But India can still be part of it. But I have said this before also that time is not unlimited,” Reuters quoted Nabizedeh as saying.

The Iranian ambassador also confirmed that China was interested in the agreement. “Yes it is true [that China has shown interest in the deal]. We hope that this tripartite agreement is settled soon so that we do not have to talk with anyone else,” he said.

The 2,600 km pipeline would initially transport 60 million cubic metres of gas (2.2bn cubic feet) a day.

India has boycotted trilateral meetings since mid-2007, saying it wants to resolve the issues of transit fees and transportation tariffs with Pakistan first. Last year, India’s Petroleum Minister Murli Deora had said they were very close to signing the deal.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...2009_pg7_4