China may replace India in IPI project: report

IPI

Dubai, Feb 7 (PTI) China may replace India in the
proposed IPI gas pipeline project as New Delhi has been
dithering over the deal, a media report has said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki claimed
that Tehran was ready to start anytime the IPI "peace
pipeline" project, originally conceived to include Iran,
Pakistan and India.
China might replace India in the proposed project soon
as India has been dithering over the deal, Mottaki is reported
to have said. All the details between Pakistan and Iran in
this regard have already been finalised, according to a report
in Tehran Times newspaper.
India still needed some time but "we can even start
the project without India," Mottaki was quoted as saying by
the daily.
The IPI project was conceived in 1995 and after almost
13 years India finally decided to quit the project in 2008.
India walked out of the 2,775 km pipeline project due mainly
to the hefty transit fee demanded by Islamabad.
Mootaki blamed the US for trying to sabotage the gas
pipeline project and said, "Growing relations between US and
India should not affect the relations of India with other
countries of the region."
He was confident that Pakistan would not hesitate to
start the gas pipeline project despite the US pressure.
"We must not allow any third country to interfere in
the bilateral relations of Iran and Pakistan," Mottaki
underlined.
The proposed 2,775 km long project is dubbed the
'Peace Pipeline', connecting Iran, Pakistan and India. PTI
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