01-06-2006, 05:39 AM
<b>Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline : US against deal</b>
<i>* ADB experts say project feasible</i>
<b>WASHINGTON : The United States said it was âabsolutely opposedâ to a natural gas pipeline project linking Iran with Pakistan and India, even though an Asian Development Bank (ADB) expert saw it feasible.</b>
Iran is reportedly nearing a deal with the two neighbours for the 2,600-kilometre pipeline costing more than $7 billion.
<b>âThe US government supports multiple pipelines from that (the Caspian) region but remains absolutely opposed to pipelines involving Iran,â senior State Department official Steven Mann told a forum in Washington late Wednesday.
The US accuses Iran of trying to build a nuclear bomb and being a state sponsor of terror.</b> Mann, the special negotiator for Eurasian conflicts in the State Departmentâs bureau of European affairs, spoke after an ADB expert told the forum that the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline and another pipeline linking Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan were both feasible.
Dan Millison, ADBâs senior energy specialist, said at the meeting organised by Johns Hopkins University that his assessment was based purely on economic grounds and demand from energy-guzzling India and Pakistan.
He said that generally, âpiped gas was economically favourable versus LNGâ.
âTAP (the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan project) and the Iran-Pakistan-India options appear viable and competitive versus LNG,â Millison said. Mann said any success of the Turkmenistan-sourced project depended on long term market and supply reliability and participation of âheavy hittersâ from the private sector.
India, Pakistan and Iran have said they hope to conclude a deal by June 2006 despite US opposition. They plan to hold further talks in February in Tehran. India has said construction of the pipeline should start in 2007 and be operational by 2011. Millison said although the trans-Afghan gas pipeline was shorter and less costly, as of last month, India and Pakistan were âmoving forwardâ with the Iran project.
A multilateral institution official, who attended the Washington meeting, said a key question was whether India and Pakistan were prepared to go ahead with the project despite US opposition. He thought India might forge ahead but a US official beside him said New Delhi might not sacrifice its âlong term interestâ with Washington. Afp
Cheers <!--emo&:beer--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='cheers.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<i>* ADB experts say project feasible</i>
<b>WASHINGTON : The United States said it was âabsolutely opposedâ to a natural gas pipeline project linking Iran with Pakistan and India, even though an Asian Development Bank (ADB) expert saw it feasible.</b>
Iran is reportedly nearing a deal with the two neighbours for the 2,600-kilometre pipeline costing more than $7 billion.
<b>âThe US government supports multiple pipelines from that (the Caspian) region but remains absolutely opposed to pipelines involving Iran,â senior State Department official Steven Mann told a forum in Washington late Wednesday.
The US accuses Iran of trying to build a nuclear bomb and being a state sponsor of terror.</b> Mann, the special negotiator for Eurasian conflicts in the State Departmentâs bureau of European affairs, spoke after an ADB expert told the forum that the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline and another pipeline linking Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan were both feasible.
Dan Millison, ADBâs senior energy specialist, said at the meeting organised by Johns Hopkins University that his assessment was based purely on economic grounds and demand from energy-guzzling India and Pakistan.
He said that generally, âpiped gas was economically favourable versus LNGâ.
âTAP (the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan project) and the Iran-Pakistan-India options appear viable and competitive versus LNG,â Millison said. Mann said any success of the Turkmenistan-sourced project depended on long term market and supply reliability and participation of âheavy hittersâ from the private sector.
India, Pakistan and Iran have said they hope to conclude a deal by June 2006 despite US opposition. They plan to hold further talks in February in Tehran. India has said construction of the pipeline should start in 2007 and be operational by 2011. Millison said although the trans-Afghan gas pipeline was shorter and less costly, as of last month, India and Pakistan were âmoving forwardâ with the Iran project.
A multilateral institution official, who attended the Washington meeting, said a key question was whether India and Pakistan were prepared to go ahead with the project despite US opposition. He thought India might forge ahead but a US official beside him said New Delhi might not sacrifice its âlong term interestâ with Washington. Afp
Cheers <!--emo&:beer--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='cheers.gif' /><!--endemo-->