India, Pakistan, Iran likely to hold talks over pipeline proj

New Delhi, June 24 (PTI) - India, Pakistan and Iran are next
month likely to hold their first trilateral meeting in a year
to finalise details of the USD 7.4 billion tri-nation gas
pipeline project.

Petroleum Minister Murli Deora met his Iranian
counterpart Gholam Hosein Nozari on sidelines of a meeting of
world oil producers and consumers in Jeddah Sunday evening
and agreed for a trilateral meeting in Tehran next month.

"Most of the bilateral issues have been resolved... and
now a trilateral meeting of oil ministers of the three
countries is mostly likely to take place in Tehran next
month," Petroleum Secretary M.S. Srinivasan, who was present
at Sunday's meeting with Nozari, said Monday.

New Delhi had in fact written to Iran to hold a
trilateral meeting to resolve outstanding issue much before
the Left's last week attack on the United Progressive Alliance
Government for allegedly "dragging its feet" on the pipeline
project.

Srinivasan said transit issues with Pakistan were settled
when Deora had visited Islamabad in April and there were few
issues with Iran that New Delhi wants to settle at the
trilateral meeting in Tehran.

India wants Iran to handover custody of gas at the
India-Pakistan border and not at Iran-Pakistan border, as had
been suggested by Tehran, to cut transit risk through
Pakistan. It has also opposed price revision clause that Iran
is seeking to insert in the Gas Sales Agreement.

Besides, India is pressing Iran to dedicate a particular
gas field like South Pars for Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline and
get its reserves certified by a third party. It also wants to
know alternate supply sources in event of depletion of
reserves.

Though Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during his
brief visit to India in late April had hoped that a contract
for the pipeline would be concluded in the 45-day time, not
much had moved on ground.

India has been boycotting IPI pipeline talks since August
2007 over transit fee demanded by Pakistan for passage of gas
through that country. Differences between the two nations were
narrowed at meeting of oil ministers of India and Pakistan in
Islamabad in April but there is no agreement as yet.

"There is lack of continuity at the ministerial level in
Pakistan. Their oil minister has changed again and we want to
be sure that the new minister is in sink with what had been
agreed April 24," Srinivasan said.

The transit fee and other issues are likely to figure
when Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who
also has been recently given the oil portfolio, visit India
later this week.

Deora had Sunday stated in Jeddah that a deal on
Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline was likely soon.

"The Pakistan oil minister has changed and so we have to
deal with the new minister who is going to deal with it. Very
soon we should be able to sign the agreement with Iran and
Pakistan," he had said.

Srinivasan said that Pakistan supported India on the gas
delivery point issue. PTI