US comment 'undesirable': Pak

Terming US scepticism on the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline as "undesirable", Islamabad has said it was determined to implement the project. Foreign Office spokesman Tasnim Aslam said Pakistan is determined to implement the project and transfer Iran's gas to Pakistan and India.

The comment by US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian affairs Richard Boucher was not in the line with Pakistan's interests and was undesirable, she said.

"We have a transparent and clear stance on this issue and Iran's gas is our first priority in providing energy for our country," Aslam was quoted as saying by IRNA today.

Both President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz are determined to finalise the giant project, she added.

Boucher had said that the US was skeptical about the proposed $7-billion gas pipeline project pointing out it has already made clear the "consequences" for any country which invested in Iran.

"We have expressed our skepticism about the project. We have expressed our reservations about the project," he said in an interview to Pakistani TV channel.