|
 ISLAMABAD,
July 22: The Indian move to play up risks pertaining to
Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline plan is meant to dictate terms
for the implementation of the project and seek subsidized
prices of gas. A petroleum ministry official told Dawn on
Friday that India wanted a three-nation ownership of the
2,670km pipeline and the price at which Iran was providing
gas to its citizens.
The official said this in a reaction to a statement of Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh in Washington in which the Indian
leader expressed scepticism about the pipeline saying that
the project was fraught with risks and that he did not know
if any international consortium of bankers would underwrite
it.
He said the Indian government gave similar impressions
through media when a high-level Pakistani delegation was in
New Delhi early this month as part of the joint working group
on the pipeline.
He said the Indian attitude also raised apprehensions in
Iran, raising questions whether New Delhi was really
interested in the project or wanted to get favourable gas
prices before its execution.
He said India believed that gas prices offered by Iran were
on the higher side and had asked Iran to sell gas at the rate
which was being paid by the Iranian nationals. Obviously, he
added, Iran was not willing to offer subsidized domestic
rates to India.
Secondly, the official said, India had proposed that since
international consortium might not be available for the
project, the gas authorities of the three countries should
develop the pipeline through a joint venture which should
also have ownership rights of the pipeline.
He said the proposal was not practicable, adding that it was
not only the pipeline but also the land and other things in
each country whose proprietary rights could not be given to a
third country.
NEW DELHI, July 22: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s
woes over a controversial gas pipeline project with Iran
increased on Friday after a cabinet colleague and key allies
distanced themselves from his critique of the multi-billion
dollar idea. Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar said
negotiations with Pakistan were on to make the
Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline safe from all risks. Dr
Singh had described the project in Washington as being
fraught with risks.
“The whole of this exercise for a safe and secure world class
project is taking required measures to mitigate the risks
involved,” Mr Aiyar told reporters here.
Dr Singh had also expressed doubts if any international
consortium of bankers would underwrite the project.
Mr Aiyar said the technical, financial, commercial and legal
agreements of the pipeline would have safety and security
dimensions worked into the project structure.
“Negotiations are on schedule that we had laid. We are
working towards that,” he said.
Earlier this month, India and Pakistan decided to appoint
separate financial consultants to work out a project
structure for the much-delayed project to take off by early
next year.
The prime minister’s Left Front allies, who shore up his
United Progressive Alliance government, voiced apprehensions
on Friday over the Indo-US agreement on nuclear energy.
“It is very unfortunate that the prime minister has made such
remarks in Washington when it is well-known that the United
States is opposed to the project,” said Mr Prakash Karat,
general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
“The prime minister should immediately clarify whether the
commitment to the pipeline project has been diluted as a
result of his visit to the United States,” Mr Karat said
after an hour-long meeting of the four Left parties ahead of
the monsoon session of parliament beginning Monday.
The Left parties have decided to have floor coordination with
the government “as we are supporting the government from
outside,” Mr Karat said.
Pakistani diplomats said privately they were surprised by Dr
Singh’s apparent lack of enthusiasm for the project for which
Islamabad has been resisting American pressure to abort it.
|
|
