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India has major stake in gas pipeline: Iranian diplomat

DUBAI: India has a major stake in the stability of West Asia and in the construction of the proposed Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline, a top Iranian official has said.

In an interview to The Hindu Iran’s Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the former Deputy Foreign Minister, Hamid Reza Asefi, said the pipeline would benefit the three countries equally.

Asked to comment on the perception that the United States was discouraging India from going ahead with the deal, Mr. Asefi said: “India is a big country. It is a large country — a heavyweight in the international arena. Therefore, India should show independence. That is in the interest of India. This pipeline serves Iran, serves Pakistan and also serves India. Every country benefits equally. Therefore I think that not as a gesture to Iran, but in its own national interest, India should show its independence.”

Mr. Asefi said Iran was “determined to go along with this project” and had commenced work on it. He hoped “India [would] join in and finalise the matter.” His remarks follow a recent statement by Iran’s caretaker Oil Minister Gholam Hossein Nozari that Tehran would not wait indefinitely for India’s decision on participation in the project.

The 2,600-km-long pipeline, once completed, will bring gas from Iran’s giant South Pars field to Pakistan and India. According to Iranian projections, the project could be completed by 2010.

Asked whether New Delhi had a role to play in defusing the growing military tensions surrounding Iran, Mr. Asefi said that India had a significant stake in the stability of the region. “The benefit of stability in the region also serves Indian interests. Instability in the region will, I believe, damage Indian interests. India is a country in the region — a little bit further than some other countries, but still in the region. Therefore, I think in either case it will be affected.”

Elaborating, Mr. Asefi said: “India as a responsible member in the international arena can speak to countries in the West and in the region. But like others, we do not expect anything specific from any other country. But we believe every country has got a responsibility to voice its position. That would help.”

Responding to a query on the recent escalation of tensions between the U.S. and Iran, Mr. Asefi said that the rising American “frustration” because of the developments in Iraq, and Washington’s inability to substantiate allegations regarding the Iranian nuclear programme were responsible for its negative stance.

Commenting on the Iran-U.S. dialogue to defuse the crisis in Iraq, Mr. Asefi said that it was premature to judge the importance of these talks. “We entered this dialogue in the interest of Iraq. We entered this dialogue because the Iraqis insisted on us to enter this discussion and we have done that. What we were trying to do in meetings is to remind the Americans about their responsibilities — to remind the Americans their mistakes and how they should act to bring about stability in the region. We had very open, frank and transparent discussions. It is too early to say whether they were more or below expectations. We should witness and follow the American approach in Iraq.”

Referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Tehran on October 16, Mr. Asefi observed that, “Iran and Russia are two pillars of stability in the region. Russia is regarded as one of our most important partners. We as neighbours have the same threat, say from narcotics and terrorism. Therefore, the visit of President Putin to Iran is definitely an important event.”

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