India, Pakistan begin talks on Iran gas pipeline

[Bhaisahab]

Pakistan and neighboring India began talks Sunday on a proposed pipeline - opposed by the United States - that would bring natural gas to both countries from Iran, officials said.

The 1,735-mile pipeline - proposed by Iran in 1996 - has never gotten off the ground because of India's concern for the security of the pipeline in Pakistan, its archrival for the past six decades.

However, tensions between India and Pakistan have eased in the past year and a half, and their governments have agreed to work toward building the pipeline, despite opposition from Washington, an ally of both countries.

Mani Shankar Aiyar, India's petroleum and natural gas minister, and his Pakistani counterpart, Amanullah Khan Jadoon, began the two-day talks in Pakistan's capital Islamabad.

SNIP

At the meeting, Aiyar said he informed the Pakistani minister that India is not facing any U.S. pressure to abandon the proposed Iran gas pipeline project.

http://www.forbes.com/business/commerce/feeds/ap/2005/06/05/ap2077203.html

emphasis added

[fujiyama]

1. Maybe the US has just given up

trying to get India to not go with it.

Or maybe the US has other plans - that after any possible future invasion of Iran (a neocon pipedream if there ever was one), an existing infrastrure would exist to supply an energy hungry India - and thus it would be possible to guage India.

[wakeme2008]

2. Let's see the Dickie Map on Iran

and who Dickie says can "own" this new pipeline.... :grr: