After 14 years of negotiations, Iran and Pakistan have inked the initial agreement for the multi-billion dollar gas pipeline deal, keeping the option for India open to join them at a later stage, an Iranian official said today.
The project, described as the "peace pipeline" was signed yesterday in the presence of President Asif Ali Zardari and his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on the sidelines of the tripartite summit on Afghan security in Tehran.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said in Tehran that a gas deal was finalised by Ahmadinejad and Zardari, Iran's official IRNA news agency reported.
Hassan Qashqavi said although the gas deal was made between Iran and Pakistan, any third country, including India, could also join the agreement. There would be no obstacle for India's joining to the deal, he said noting that the Iran Pakistan gas exports agreement would follow its normal course.
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Basit said yesterday India had reservations over the gas pipeline but there is a provision that Indian can join it later.
"We are still hoping that India would join the project" a Pakistani gas official was quoted as sayong by the Dawn.
The $7.2 billion Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) project was conceived in 1995 and after almost 13 years India finally decided to quit the project in 2008. As per the initial design, the 2,700 km-long pipeline would cover 1,100 kms in Iran, 1000 kms in Pakistan and 600 kms in India.