Iran pitches extending pipeline to India via Pakistan

By Sachin Parashar, TNN

NEW DELHI: Iran made a pitch on Friday for the extension of gas pipeline with Pakistan to India with its visiting chief of Supreme National Security Council, Saeed Jalili, saying that Tehran had the "best capacity" to provide security for the pipeline. Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Jalili was on a three -day visit to India during which he met his counterpart NSA Shivshankar Menon.

Apart from Iran's nuclear power programme, the two sides also discussed regional issues like terrorism and the situation in Afghanistan as Kabul pushes for its controversial Peace Process Roadmap with the Taliban.

India has repeatedly cited security as one of the concerns for not joining the pipeline known earlier as IPI (Iran-Pakistan-India) pipeline. Tehran has left open the option of India joining later. "Iran has the second largest gas reserves in the world and we will welcome any step which can be used for the benefit of people," said Jalili. He was replying to a query about whether Tehran was still trying to convince India to allow the pipeline to be extended from Pakistan to India. "Just like the way it has handled piracy in the Persian Gulf, Iran has the best capacity to provide security also," he added when asked about the pipeline.

With the talks in Chantilly near Paris between the Taliban and Kabul administration suggesting that the Taliban may play a role in Afghanistan's administration, a worried Indian side also discussed what is already being described as the blurring of "red lines". India is hoping to forge a partnership with Iran which will allow it to deal with any such eventuality. The Indian government believes that the Chantilly talks were a "tentative exercise" and not truly representative of either the government or Taliban.

Jalili chose not to comment directly though on whether Iran approved of the Chantilly talks. "On the issue of Afghanistan we should give responsibility to the Afghan people. Whatever they decide should be respected," he said, adding that Iran wants immediate withdrawal of US-led forces in Afghanistan.

Both Iran and India believe that it may be a little premature to come to any judgment now. The Indian government believes that Afghanistan's Majlis has already sought an explanation from its foreign minister about how these talks were allowed to happen.

Jalili said Iran was looking to strengthen security ties with India. He said that countries like India and Pakistan should evolve a joint strategy for Afghanistan's stability.