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Iran calls off talks with India over IPI gas pipeline
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 16
Frustrated with New Delhi for its ambivalence on the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline, Tehran has called off talks with India on the ambitious project. “The IPI pipeline is no longer on the agenda (of the two countries)…of course, Iran is willing to give a guarantee (to India) on the security of the pipeline,” highly placed sources said today.

Iran last year signed a bilateral deal with Pakistan for the construction of the much-delayed $ 7.6-billion project without India’s participation. Dubbed the “peace pipeline,” the project had been planned in the 1990s and originally would have extended from Pakistan to India. New Delhi has raised with Iran its concerns about the security of the pipeline, apart from pricing issues. Because of New Delhi’s reluctance to give its nod to the pipeline, Pakistan has suggested to Iran that its “all-weather” friend China should replace India in the project.

The 2,775-km pipeline was proposed to start from Asalouyeh and stretch over 1,100 km through Iran. In Pakistan, it was proposed to pass through the restive Baluchistan Province and Sindh. In Khuzdar in Pakistan, a branch was to extend to Karachi, while the main pipeline would continue towards Multan. From Multan, the pipeline could be expanded to Delhi.

For security reasons, India had proposed an alternative offshore route from Iran to the maritime boundary between India and Pakistan off Kutch. From there, one branch to run to Pakistan while the other branch could run to Kutch.

The sources wondered why India was giving a preference to the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline despite more security concerns about the viability of the project. “While the IPI pipeline would pass through Pakistan only, the TAPI project would travel through both Afghanistan and Pakistan…how is it more viable”? they asked.

Meanwhile, Iran today demanded the immediate withdrawal of all foreign forces from Afghanistan and called for cooperation among regional countries to tackle the menace of terrorism.

Ali Bagheri, Deputy Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, told a select group of journalists at a breakfast meeting that Tehran was confident that India would continue to pursue an independent foreign policy.

“European countries and the US want India to be dependent on their own policies but India has shown a remarkable maturity in pursuing an independent policy,” he added.

Bagheri held talks with National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon and his deputy Latha Reddy on matters of mutual interest and international developments during the past two days.

He alleged that the US was responsible for the wave of terrorism in the region. “The root cause of terrorism in the region is the US…they created the core of these terrorist groups,” he claimed.

Bagheri said the UN sanctions on Iran over its controversial nuclear programme have not had any impact on that country, which had become more self-reliant and it’s economy was doing remarkably well. On India-Iran relations, Bagheri said there was a lot of congeniality in bilateral ties but the relationship had not yet achieved its full potential.