Monday, September 18 2006 12:32 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Havana: India will rework on the India-Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline once the report of experts on the feasibility of the project is available, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said today (Sept 18, 2006).

Talking to reporters on way home from Havana, he said during his meeting with Iranian President Ahmedinijad, the latter agreed the two countries must work together to strengthen bilateral relationship in every possible way.

He told Ahmednijad that both the countries had centuries-old ties of civilisation and culture and there had been some misunderstanding over a particular small role.

"But that is a thing of the past. I reiterated to the President that Iran is a member of the NPT and must have all rights for peaceful use of nuclear energy and all the obligations.

"And all doubts of the international community should be resolved through constructive dialogue and discussions and not through any exercise of coercive approach," Singh said.

On his talks with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the Prime Minister said there was very good discussion on how to promote cooperation in the field of energy and energy security.

Chavez referred to the South Commission report in which Manmohan Singh had a major role saying he had read it from cover to cover when he was in jail. Chavez said the time had come for another report.

Singh said the report was written in 1990 and times have changed and there are opportunities to re-look at options.

"And we as nations of the South and Non-Aligned do believe that NAM needs revision and a new direction," he said.

On NAM revitalisation, Singh said the world was yearning for a new road map to deal with its problems. After the end of the cold war era there was now a sense of insecurity that the world was drifting and if these tendencies were not corrected they threatened to destroy civilisation.

He said India has a role to play in finding new pathways to bring about peace and harmony.