Iran-India gas link deal seen in June, despite US

DOHA, April 23 (Reuters) Pakistan, India and Iran are likely to sign their billion gas pipeline deal in June, in defiance of U.S.

pressure, Pakistan's and India's oil ministers told Reuters on Sunday.

The oil ministers of Iran and Pakistan had told Reuters on Saturday the three countries were very near final agreement on the project to pump Iranian gas through Pakistan to India.

Iranian Oil Minister Kazem Vaziri had said he expected the signing to take place in Tehran in June, but Indian and Pakistan had not given a precise time scale.

''Most probably it will be signed in June,'' Amanullah Khan Jadoon said on Sunday.

Indian Oil Minister Murli Deora also said on Sunday a June signing was likely and that he was impatient for progress on the project first mooted more than a decade ago.

''These things have taken so much time. We are all three parties sincerely dedicated to this project,'' he told Reuters.

Progress has been slow because of hostility between India and Pakistan and, more recently, U.S. opposition to Iran because of its nuclear programme.

When asked about U.S. pressure, Pakistan's energy minister said: ''That's the (Pakistan) president's problem. I'm the energy minister. I must take care of energy needs.'' The pipeline through Pakistan would link Iran's abundant gas reserves, the world's second biggest, to India's booming economy and it would carry 150 million cubic metres per day of gas for 25 years, Vaziri said.

REUTERS MP PM1317