Iran said it hoped all aspects of a $7-billion pipeline to transport natural gas from the country to Pakistan and India would be finalised in next two months, as talks began here on a pricing formuala and technical details of the project despite objections by US.
"I am here to discuss pricing formula" and other technical details, said Iranian deputy oil minister Mohammad Hadi Nejad Hosseinian upon arrival in Islamabad on a three-day trip for talks with Pakistani officials to finalise a framework agreement on the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline.
Hosseinian said he hoped the three countries would finalise all aspects of the project in next two months. If an agreement was not reached during his stay here, the issue would be further discussed when the oil ministers from India, Iran and Pakistan meet in Iran in June, he said.
His visit comes days after a telephonic talk between Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during which they vowed to take the project forward.
Reports in Islamabd said the two leaders agreed to work with a set of deadlines in furthering the IPI.
The Iranian minister is reportedly instructed by Ahmedinijad not to return home without an agreement on the project, Daily Times reported citing Pakistani officials.
On Thursday night, Musharraf told a delegation of Chinese energy officials that Pakistan's decision on importing natural gas will not be influenced by external forces.
"The government will not take a decision under any external influence. The decision will be made in accordance with the country's national interests," he said without directly referring to open objections aired by US that it was opposed to IPI due to its differences with Iran over its suspected nuclear weapon ambitions.
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