US Frown Turns Gas Pipeline Into Pipe Dream

[Flabbergasted]

Source: Inter Press Service News Agency

NEW DELHI, Mar 22 (IPS) - A grandiose project to construct a pipeline to transport natural gas from Iran to India through Pakistan at a cost of seven billion US dollars is in jeopardy on account of stiff opposition from Washington and wrangling among the three regional partners.

Days after visiting U.S. energy secretary Samuel Bodman conveyed to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh his country's opposition to the project officials in India's ministry of petroleum and natural gas showed new toughness in negotiations over the project.

Mukhtar Ahmad, energy advisor to Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, was told on Thursday that India would quit the pipeline project unless Pakistan reduced the fees it proposed to charge for allowing the gas to flow through its territory.

Independent analysts told IPS that the chances of the multinational pipeline being expeditiously built -- with support from Russia -- had diminished considerably. The U.S. government's warning that sanctions would be imposed on organisations that did business with Iran, coupled with financial wrangling among the project's partners, had all but negated progress made during a series of complex negotiations lasting more than a year.


Read more: http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=37051

[cyberpj]

1. Gee you don't think this is one of those secret energy meeting plans, do you? (She sneers...) nt

[Javaman]

2. Wow, I guess dickhead chaney and his Baku pipedream

isn't going as well as he had hoped, huh?