India succumbs to US pressure, misses meet on Iran pipeline:

[salahuldin786]

India "succumbed to the US pressure" by not attending the meet finalising the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline deal, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury has said.

"India did not take part at the tripartite meeting at Tehran on September 24 to finalise the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project, envisaging supply of natural gas via Pakistan, but for US pressure", Yechury alleged in an article in the party mouthpiece Ganashakti on Monday.

"The deal has been finalised between Iran and Pakistan on Saturday. It is unwise for India to remain absent at that meeting", the CPI(M) leader, in Kolkata to attend the CPI(M) politburo and central committee meetings, said.

Alleging that the US "has been determining India's foreign policy", he said: "This has vindicated our party's observation that implications of the proposed Indo-US nuclear deal will not be limited within nuclear energy alone, but to other wide areas too".

He alleged that it was at the instance of Washington that India had voted against Iran twice at the IAEA meeting.

He said the US had been openly opposing the Indo-Iran gas pipeline project to import natural gas.

Though the External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee had said that there was no relation between the gas pipeline project and the Indo-US Nuclear deal, "in effect, it is being seen that India has been dilly-dallying on this project after succumbing to the US pressure", he said.

The daily quoted Yechury as saying, "while Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf could conclude a deal with Iran being a friendly ally of President Bush, why couldn't we?"

India succumbs to US pressure, misses meet on Iran pipeline: Yechury- Hindustan Times'

 

[antiobl]

Nations make decisions in their own interest.

Indians never wanted a pipeline at the expense of their relationship with the US. It was a ruse to succer Iran into a never ending "negotiations".

Morever it is not just India's role. For a mega project like a 100s' of miles of pipeline, you need international banks, oil companies and construction companies.

With leaders like Nejat, Iranians are really in bad shape right now. No sane company would dare investing for Iran or in Iran.

So things are not as simple as this leftie-Indian Mr. Sitaram is trying to make.

India "succumbed to the US pressure" by not attending the meet finalising the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline deal, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury has said.

"India did not take part at the tripartite meeting at Tehran on September 24 to finalise the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project, envisaging supply of natural gas via Pakistan, but for US pressure", Yechury alleged in an article in the party mouthpiece Ganashakti on Monday.

"The deal has been finalised between Iran and Pakistan on Saturday. It is unwise for India to remain absent at that meeting", the CPI(M) leader, in Kolkata to attend the CPI(M) politburo and central committee meetings, said.

Alleging that the US "has been determining India's foreign policy", he said: "This has vindicated our party's observation that implications of the proposed Indo-US nuclear deal will not be limited within nuclear energy alone, but to other wide areas too".

He alleged that it was at the instance of Washington that India had voted against Iran twice at the IAEA meeting.

He said the US had been openly opposing the Indo-Iran gas pipeline project to import natural gas.

Though the External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee had said that there was no relation between the gas pipeline project and the Indo-US Nuclear deal, "in effect, it is being seen that India has been dilly-dallying on this project after succumbing to the US pressure", he said.

The daily quoted Yechury as saying, "while Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf could conclude a deal with Iran being a friendly ally of President Bush, why couldn't we?"

India succumbs to US pressure, misses meet on Iran pipeline: Yechury- Hindustan Times'

 

[A True Pakistani]

antiobl

I've seen you posting on another pakistani forum but it's turned into an all Indian forum now and getting worse so I dont post there anymore.

See you around

 

[dabong1]

As i said from the start there no way india is going to let pakistan benefit from any economic project that puts power into pakistani hands.
This is good news for pakistan,we can now carry on with the iran/pakistan/china pipeline and cut the indians out.

 

[Always Neutral]

I would like to see how the project will see financial closure if the US alongwith EU gets the tougher Economic Sanctions passed. Unless USSR is going to accept rouble payment this project is a non - starter. No European contractor will get involved.

 

[IceCold]

Why do we need a contractor for it? If we are moving ahead with the project this means pakistan had thought about this problem because sure hell no US or european contractor will get involved but that doesn mean we cannot do it ourselves and ourselves alone. Or am i missing here something?

 

[Always Neutral]

Where will you get the massive gas compressors and pumping stations from ? What about insurance of the pipeline ? Building such huge pipelines require a lot of planning and even more deep resources to execute it. Also credit lines from banks for buying the equipment, pipes etc which will have to be in USD or Euro. For eg if the US says banks participating in this project will be denied entry to US financial system no bank will come forward to finance this project. Lets wait and watch and see when this project will get financial closure and then think about it.

 

[Tiki Tam Tam]

Morever it is not just India's role. For a mega project like a 100s' of miles of pipeline, you need international banks, oil companies and construction companies.

I am not very well conversant with economics.

I see that what you write makes sense.

Could you explain the actual costs and how the same could be made workable, taking the current international situation out of the consideration i.e.bareboned analysis without the politics of the issue that is,as it were, sort of scuttling the project.

 

[IceCold]

Where will you get the massive gas compressors and pumping stations from ? What about insurance of the pipeline ? Building such huge pipelines require a lot of planning and even more deep resources to execute it. Also credit lines from banks for buying the equipment, pipes etc which will have to be in USD or Euro. For eg if the US says banks participating in this project will be denied entry to US financial system no bank will come forward to finance this project. Lets wait and watch and see when this project will get financial closure and then think about it.

If what you are saying is true, why in the hell would pakistan be going forward with this project at the first place? It just doesnt make sense. We are not negotiating for going towards a dead lock in the project. We surely in hell know that that US isnt in favour of this project, so my point is pakistan must have had some backup plan in her mind, otherwise we wouldnt be going so far with the project and besides pakistan has clearly stated that we will go on with the project with or without india. You think we are just firing bullets in the air with no actual reality to it. I dont think so and we will see it in a couple of upcoming months since this project is one of the top priorities for the musharraf government.

 

[Always Neutral]

If what you are saying is true, why in the hell would pakistan be going forward with this project at the first place? It just doesnt make sense. We are not negotiating for going towards a dead lock in the project. We surely in hell know that that US isnt in favour of this project, so my point is pakistan must have had some backup plan in her mind, otherwise we wouldnt be going so far with the project and besides pakistan has clearly stated that we will go on with the project with or without india. You think we are just firing bullets in the air with no actual reality to it. I dont think so and we will see it in a couple of upcoming months since this project is one of the top priorities for the musharraf government.

Dear Ice,

Huge Projects have the following phases

1. Prefeasabilty Study - Its completed.
2. Feasabilty Study - Its completed.
3. Governmental Approval and Agreements - We are here.
4. Land Acquisition - Should not be a problem.
5. Financial Closure - Unless USA or EU allow this the pipe will remain a pipe dream.
6. Construction.

Wait and watch. My prediction that Gen M will do a deal with BB a few weeks back was laughed at by most Pakistani members like Dimension and by even senior and serious members like AA but today its true. Not only is she comming back she will also be forgiven for all sins.

Best Regards

 

[Always Neutral]

If what you are saying is true, why in the hell would pakistan be going forward with this project at the first place? It just doesnt make sense. We are not negotiating for going towards a dead lock in the project. We surely in hell know that that US isnt in favour of this project, so my point is pakistan must have had some backup plan in her mind, otherwise we wouldnt be going so far with the project and besides pakistan has clearly stated that we will go on with the project with or without india. You think we are just firing bullets in the air with no actual reality to it. I dont think so and we will see it in a couple of upcoming months since this project is one of the top priorities for the musharraf government.

I think Gen M will play a smart game. He will do all the agreements with Iran and when the US blocks it he will tell them listen I need cheap energy and if you don't want me taking it from Iran please give me the nuclear deal like India.

 

[IceCold]

I think Gen M will play a smart game. He will do all the agreements with Iran and when the US blocks it he will tell them listen I need cheap energy and if you don't want me taking it from Iran please give me the nuclear deal like India.

Even if we agree at what you are saying, this isnt as easy as you mentioned above why because going for the IPI project doesnt hold any leverage on the US since according to you they can easily block the project so they dont need to offer us anything in exchange. Besides US has made it very clear that it will not offer any such deal to any other country besides India. I think this is very clear, so to look for it i think is just a waste of time besides lets not forget that the next democratic government dosnt hold much of a positive attitude towards pakistan, so expecting a nuclear deal, i think no is an answer. Another fact is that pakistan does not want to let go iran for her cheap resources that she can offer to pakistan. Also since you mentioned nuclear one more point i would wana mention here is that pakistan has already started to look for nuclear energy from a different source (china) and in accordance has started to expand her nuclear assests with the building up of new nuclear reactors and upgradition of the existing ones with chinese assistance so as for now we really dont care if we get a same nuclear deal from the US as that of india's. Anyhow like i said we will see in the coming months this project getting towards actual development, pakistan will not let it go.

 

[Always Neutral]

I just mentioned nuke energy as an example of a bargaining chip. Even the Chinese have signed with the US for building of the nuclear plants as US tech is the best. Anyway lets wait and watch for progress on the ground. I agree with you that Iranian gas for pakistan makes both strategic and economic sense.

 

[Always Neutral]

Even if we agree at what you are saying, this isnt as easy as you mentioned above why because going for the IPI project doesnt hold any leverage on the US since according to you they can easily block the project so they dont need to offer us anything in exchange. Besides US has made it very clear that it will not offer any such deal to any other country besides India.. Anyhow like i said we will see in the coming months this project getting towards actual development, pakistan will not let it go.

Iran News - Pakistan may back out of Iran gasline project

Pakistan may back out of Iran gasline project

Saturday, September 17, 2005 - ?2005 IranMania.com

LONDON, September 17 (IranMania) - Pakistan is willing to back out of $7 billion and 200 mln Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project in return for US according to Pak parity with India in civilian nuclear technology sector.

According to Asian Tribune, this raises questions about Pakistan?s reliability as a trade partner since both India and Iran have set much in store on the pipeline and trilateral talks have made some progress already.

Islamabad is undeterred by Washington?s rejection of the request, saying Pakistan?s energy needs are not as pressing as those of India.

Lifting of nuke curbs and assistance to develop civilian nuclear technology to meet recurring power shortages were the highlights of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh?s July-end summit with President Bush in Washington.

Bush administration?s reluctance to respond to Pak request is also due to the clandestine nuclear proliferation network created by Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan at the behest of successive Pakistan regimes.

Pak-India parity in civilian nuclear technology is figuring in President Musharraf?s discussions with American leadership on the sidelines of UN General Assembly in New York.

Pak leadership is now using the gas pipeline as a trade off to curry Washingtons favor.

The US has been pressurizing both India and Pakistan to abandon the gas pipeline project. It has primarily to do with American wariness with the Iranian nuclear program.

The US administration has warned India and Pakistan that the pipeline would invite sanctions, under the Iran-Libya Sanctions Act (ILSA) that empowers President Bush to clamp punitive measures against any MNC that invests more than $20 million a year in Iran?s energy sector.

Give us four 1,000 MW nuclear power reactors to abandon the pipeline,? Pakistan has communicated to the Bush administration, reports from Islamabad say.

Indian and Pakistani leaders have time and again said the IPI project is in the interest of both countries, but if the US pressure on Pakistan increased, it has plans to seek American cooperation for the installation of the latest nuclear power plants, reports added.

India-Iran Gas Pipeline will run about 1,115 km in Iran, 705 km in Pakistan and 850 km in India. It is expected to take four to five years to materialize from the date of financial closure.

Pakistan would be required to invest about $1 billion as the pipeline would enter into India either from Rahimyar Khan or Multan. However, Pakistan, besides meeting its requirements, would earn up to $700 million in transit fee every year.

These dividends will pale into insignificance for Musharraf politically, if he can get nuclear power plant parity with India.

 

[Always Neutral]

Dear Ice,

I know the above is an old article but the situation has not changed. Its only got worse.