IPI gas pipeline project to be signed this month

Islamabad: Iranian Ambassador in Islamabad Masha'allah Shakeri has expressed hope that a final agreement on the multi-billion Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline project will be signed later this month. The envoy told a local magazine that Pakistan and Iran undertook to finalise the agreement latest by January 25, 2008.

'At present serious negotiations between Pakistan and Iran are under way and are going through their final phases,' Masha'allah Shakeri said in an interview with 'Liberty' magazine. Shakeri said that Tehran is hopeful that India will join the project and the project will be pursued trilaterally.

He said the IPI would be one of the most important economic projects of the region that can bring extensive benefits and gains for the three countries and also for the whole region. About economic ties he said main focus of ties between the two countries is aimed at expansion of economic and commercial relations. He said the trade volume that was 376 million dollars in 2004 has now boosted their target to almost one billion dollars in a year.

Nuclear programme: The envoy said that Iran's nuclear programme is completely peaceful and is being carried out under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). 'The Islamic Republic of Iran is not desirous of rights beyond its indisputable right under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and also will not agree to give up its legitimate rights', the Ambassador said.

He said Iran has exercised full co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and other parties by going even beyond its lawful and legal undertakings.

The Ambassador further added that nuclear activities in Iran, including the uranium enrichment, are taking place in accordance with the charter of IAEA, the NPT and the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement, and under full and regular supervision of the IAEA through the presence of the inspectors (without prior notice and also with due notification) and with the help of the cameras.

'Some of the countries, under political motivations, focussed their entire efforts on this issue in order to remove the process of attending to this subject from its legal course, and deprive the Islamic Republic of Iran from its lawful and legitimate rights related to benefiting from peaceful nuclear energy through seeking recourse to the UN Security Council imposing their political will upon the IAEA', the Ambassador said. 'This programme does not pose any threat to any country because basically, its nature is peaceful', he said.