Pakistan on Wednesday confirmed that it would be pushing for a discussion on the proposed India-Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline during the forthcoming Indo-Pak talks scheduled between July 14 and July 16, according to a report published by rediff.com.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian and Iranian diplomats discussed the possibility of transporting Iranian natural gas to Europe through the Ukraine.
The first proposed gas pipeline will pass through Pakistan and is on the agenda of upcoming summit, Pakistan Petroleum Minster Usman Aminuddin was quoted as saying at the Pakistan embassy in Washington.
He said that the Pakistani Petroleum Ministry had already sent a comprehensive summary on the pipeline project to Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf.
He said Islamabad was interested in the project as the country would immensely benefit from it, adding that besides the foreign investment amounting to $700 million, the project would enable Pakistan to get gas for its own use.
The 2670km long overland gas pipeline to be laid through Pakistan could fetch a whopping $8 billion in royalties, which Iran had already promised to Pakistan, according to the report.
Reports in the Pakistani media suggest that besides the royalties, the project could fetch $1 billion in taxes and $5 billion as savings on getting gas at cheaper rates.
The staggering amounts of money offered in dollars could make a tremendous difference to cash-starved Pakistan economy, which is reeling under $37 billion foreign debt.
Meanwhile, the Associated Press reported that Ukrainian and Iranian diplomats discussed the possibility of transporting Iranian natural gas to Europe through Ukraine, quoting the Interfax news agency.
It said a visiting Iranian delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Ahani discussed gas transportation during consultations with Ukrainian diplomats in Kiev on Monday.
Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Volodymyr Yelchenko said the Ukraine was also holding talks with the European Union on the proposal for shipping Iranian gas through the former Soviet republic. He said it would be discussed during the upcoming visit by Iran's Deputy Oil Minister Hossein Kazempour Ardebili to Kyiv.
Ahani said Iran was interested not only in bilateral, but also in multilateral relations, and invited international experts to join the consultations.
The Ukraine, a major energy consumer, depends heavily upon neighboring Russia's gas and oil deliveries and is seeking other sources of energy. Ukraine has large net of pipelines that link Russia and Europe and has been alarmed at Russia's decision to build a gas pipeline through Poland bypassing Ukraine, said the report – Albawaba.com
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