India welcome to join IPI proj: Iran
Tehran,
Nov
16:
Iranian
Oil
Minister
Gholam
Hossein
Nozari
has
said
there
is
no
deadline
for
India
to
join
the
Iran-Pakistan-India
(IPI)
gas
pipeline
service,
and
expressed
the
hope
that
New
Delhi
would
not
buckle
under
pressure
from
Washington
to
join
the
rival
gas
pipeline
project
from
Turkmenistan.
"We have not set any deadline for India to join the IPI pipeline project," The News quoted Nozari, as saying.
"What we are told is that India has kept their interest in the project. Both Iran and Pakistan expect and welcome India to join the project, we have not and will not set any deadlines (for India joining the project)," he added.
Nozari's statement comes soon after Iran and Pakistan finalised a contract for a multi-billion-dollar gas export deal that is schedule to be signed within a month.
The project, in its present state, envisages the construction of a 2,600-km-long pipeline that would bring gas from Iran's giant South Pars field to Pakistan and India.
India, which has not been able to resolve the issue of transit fee with Pakistan, has said that it would not participate in the trilateral talks till it is decided.
ANI>