Iran hopes India will join gas pipeline project

Despite India's reluctance to restart talks on the long-delayed Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project, Tehran today hoped New Delhi will decide in favour of joining the $7.4 billion project.

Iran's Ambassador to India Seyed Mehdi Nabizadeh said while Tehran had reached an agreement with Pakistan for laying of a gas line to that country, New Delhi was welcome to join the project.

"We have kept doors open for India to joint the project," he told a news conference here.

India, which has been boycotting talks on the issue of security of gas supplies through the pipeline for more than two years, had in December 2009 agreed to restart dialogue but has so far not specified any dates.

"(Petroleum Minister) Murli Deora has promised that by next week they (India) will specify dates for holding trilateral talks," Iranian Deputy Oil Minister Seifollah Jashnsaz had said after meeting Deora here on December 2.

Iranian Ambassador did not seem to mind the delay saying no fixed timeframe was decided for holding the talks.

"Deora will suggest dates for holding the trilateral meeting in New Delhi in December (2009)," Jashnsaz had said.

New Delhi last attended a trilateral ministerial meeting on the project in 2007 and has not even held any bilateral dialogue in the past 18-months.

India wants Iran to guarantee safe delivery of the gas through Pakistan and is also upset at the frequent changes Tehran has made in the gas price.