The two-day ministerial meeting of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Turkmenistan to formally invite Indian participation in the transnational pipeline project originating from Dauletabad fields in Turkmenistan was cancelled on Tuesday due to the fast spreading Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.

Host Asian Development Bank said the meeting on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan Gas Pipeline Project, scheduled in Manila, was cancelled due to SARS.

Oil and gas ministers from the three countries were to meet for the Fifth Steering Committee Meeting to consider the report on the market study for Turkmen gas in Pakistan and northern India.

India's participation in the project is vital as it has the biggest natural gas market, which would make the pipeline profitable.

The Steering Committee is looking at issues relating to the structure and the salient points of various agreements being drafted as part of ADB assistance for the project.

The ADB has approved a $1 million technical assistance grant for undertaking a technical feasibility study of the project in December 2002.

The 1,600-km gas pipeline project will transport up to 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually from the Dauletabad fields in South East Turkmenistan to consumers in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and possibly India, said ADB.

UNI