US unhappy with Pak-Iran gas pipeline deal

Pakistan

US unhappy with Pak-Iran gas pipeline deal

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The US is trying to persuade Pakistan to stay away from gas pipeline project with Iran.

19 December,2011 03:52 pm

The United States wants to keep Pakistan away from this project as part of the strategy to put pressure and isolate Iran from international community because of the objections over its nuclear programme. The US has already placed several sanctions on Iran and if Pakistan goes ahead with the gas pipeline project with Iran, it could raise question-marks on the US funding for Pakistan as per the US laws.A US delegation also conveyed its reservations to Pakistan during the last Pak-US working group on energy meeting in Islamabad a couple of months ago. As compensation, the US is urging Pakistan to look at alternate energy options like Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project and has also offered with technical expertise and finances for it.Talking to Dunya News, US authorities said that they believe Pak-Iran gas pipeline project is also not very feasible technically. This project is unlikely to solve the energy problems of Pakistan and is much more ambitious in its present form instead of being practical in nature, they opined.A US state department press officer, talking to Dunya News on conditions on anonymity, confirmed that the US was not too happy with Pakistan looking towards Iran for gas and had conveyed it to Pakistani authorities as well. “We recognize Pakistan has significant energy requirements and are working to find effective ways to help it meet its needs.The proposed Pakistan-Iran pipeline, if built, could raise concerns under the Iran Sanctions Act. We have raised this issue with the Government of Pakistan and are encouraging it to seek alternatives. Transactions such as these weaken international community pressure on Iran to fulfill its international obligations and address concerns about its nuclear activities, the press officer added.-Contributed by Awais Saleem, Dunya News correspondent in Washington, DC