Despite a strong opposition by the United States, Pakistan says it will nonetheless press ahead with its Iran gas pipeline deal.
Pakistani Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan stated Friday that Islambad will not accept any dictation from any foreign nation in regards to its internal affairs. He added that exporting gas from Iran is in the country's best interest.
These remarks were in reaction to an earlier plea by Washington's Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter, who said that the Pakistani government should abort its multi-billion dollar gas pipeline project with Iran, stating Friday, “Pak-Iran gas pipeline is not a good idea….However, the plan to get gas from Turkmenistan is a better idea.”
The gas pipeline deal, a $7.6 Billion project signed in June 2010, aims to export daily amounts of 21.5 million cubic metres (or 8.7 billion cubic metres annually) of Iranian natural gas into Pakistan.
Last month, Pakistani Minister of Oil and Natural Resources Asim Hussain said that the Iran-Pakistan natural gas pipeline would see it inauguration before the end of 2013, more than one year ahead of the original scheduling.
The maximum daily gas transfer capacity of the 56-inch pipeline, which runs more than 900 km of Iran's soil from Asalouyeh in Bushehr Province to the city of Iranshahr in Sistan and Baluchestan Province, has been given at 110 million cubic metres.
Pakistan and Iran finalized the details of the deal during bilateral talks held in Tehran in October of 2007.
Washington's efforts to isolate Iran economically through United Nations Security Council sanctions and its own unilateral penalties over Tehran's nucleur programs definitely took a hit with the signing of the deal.
Iran is ranked at number two in the world in natural gas resources after Russia, with available gas reserves estimated at well over 33 trillion cubic metres.
In addition to exporting gas to Turkey, Armenia, and Pakistan, Iran is currently in negotiations with Iraq to export gas.
The timing of this economic confrontation may well be the justification (not that you can call it that), of yesterday's reports of a United States-NATO attack on Pakinstani troops, as natural gas has been emerging as one of the most prolific pieces on the geopolitical scale in the 21st century; one which allows suppliers to dictate regional policy and swing the balance of power.
No comments:
Post a Comment