Pak-Iran gas pipeline only prospective: US

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Pak-Iran gas pipeline only prospective: US

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The US considers that Pak-Iran gas pipeline is just in a prospective phase.

08 March,2012 05:14 pm

The spokesperson of the Unites States Department of State, Victroria Nuland has reiterated the stance of the American administration on the proposed Pak-Iran gas pipeline. We’ve had this conversation here many times. This is a deal that has been talked about, come and gone many times, so we first make the point to Pakistan about whether they really think that Iran is going to be a reliable partner in this, she cautioned.We secondly make the point that we understand the energy needs of Pakistan. We are prepared to continue to work with Pakistan, as we have in the past, on other sources of energy. Our point is to say that we think this is a bad idea and that there are other options, she emphasised the point that was also made by the Secretary of Sttae, Hilary Clinton during a hearing at Capitol Hill last week.When asked that the Secretary had also hinted at sanctions against Pakistan in case of going ahead with the pipeline deal with Iran, she refused to give a clear answer. When pressed further that Pakistan had given the contract of laying the pipeline in its territory to a German firm, she said I’m not going to prejudge what might be sanctionable on a deal that is just prospective at this point and where tenders have only just gone out.This is now in the execution phase. This is not just talk. They are – they have given tenders for laying the pipeline. The route survey is underway, a journalist probed. Again, there have been government proposals and tenders put out; there hasn’t been a deal cut, Ms. Nuland responded.So at what stage the United States will contemplate action based on these sanctions? When the first set of pipeline will be underground?, she was asked. Again, I can’t predict that on a prospective deal at this stage of its development, she categorically stated.When asked to comment on the reasons for India deciding to pull out of the Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline deal after showing interest initially and whether the US had any role to play in it, she refused to comment. I can’t speak to India’s decision-making process on this. We’ve been very clear what we think about this pipeline, she maintained.The spokesperson denied having received any intimation from Pakistan regarding the completion of their parliamentary review. Our understanding is it’s going to be a little bit of time yet, but it sounds like that’s a subject that you might have more information from the Pakistani side. We have said that we will respect the time that it takes them to do this, and we look forward to hearing from them when they’re ready, she observed.She also refused to confirm the statement of CENTCOM chief General James Mattis about an impending visit to Pakistan. He had said on Tuesday during a hearing before the Senates Armed Services Committee that he was planning to go to Pakistan in about 10 days or so, indicating that the review would be over by that time.Again, we continue to be in dialogue with them about an appropriate time for us to resume our own discussion, but we don’t have anything firm at the moment, she stated adding that there was also no schedule of Ambassador Grossmans visit to Pakistan at this stage. -- Contributed by Awais Saleem, Dunya News correspondent in Washington, DC