The Hindu Business Line : IPI pipeline project talks progressing: Deora

The Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas, Mr Murli Deora, during his meeting with Iranian leaders at the recently concluded Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) conference at Shanghai, China carried forward the dialogue on issues concerning Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline project and the supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to India under an agreement signed at Tehran in June 2005.

Mr Deora, who called on the President of Iran, Mr Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and the Iranian Oil Minister, Mr Kazem Vaziri-Hamaneh, emphasised that the implementation of LNG supply agreement between the oil companies of Iran and India needs to be expedited, an official release said.

The Iranian President assured Mr Deora on expediting consideration of the issues concerned.

Commitment

Reiterating India's commitment to the IPI pipeline project, Mr Deora said the discussions on the issues concerning pipeline such as project structure, route, gas pricing, and framework agreement, by the three participating countries, are progressing on a fast track.

A Secretary-level meeting of the three countries was recently held in Islamabad on pipeline project after the Oil Ministers of India, Pakistan and Iran informally discussed the project on the sidelines of the IEF Ministerial Conference at Doha in the last week of April. The oil ministers would be meeting after the details for the meeting has been worked out at the Secretary-level discussions.

The Petroleum Minister was accompanied by the Petroleum Secretary, Mr M.S. Srinivasan, and the Indian Ambassador to China, Mr Nalin Surie.

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