New Delhi: Iran today said it hopes India and Pakistan will soon resolve differences over the tri-nation gas pipeline to pave way for the $7-billion project. "Discussion between Iran and Pakistan is nearly final. We are waiting for India and Pakistan to complete so that we can decide the project," Iranian Minister for Economy and Finance Davoud Danesh Jafari told reporters here.

The trilateral deal has been stalled since June last year due to New Delhi's refusal to participate in talks unless transit issues with Pakistan are sorted out. Though India boycotted talks, Islamabad and Tehran have held talks and have neared a bilateral deal. But Iran is keen on a trilateral deal and wants India to come on board.

Pakistan's caretaker Petroleum Minister Ahsan Ullah Khan had last week stated that an economic coordination committee of the Pakistani Cabinet had cleared sovereign guarantees for gas imports from Iran and a gas sale purchase agreement with Iran was likely to be signed this week.

Industry observers said no country would be comfortable entering into an agreement with Pakistan during its present political turmoil. Iran would like a stable and high demand consumer like India to back the multi-billion dollar revenues it expects to earn every year from sale of natural gas.

Indian officials also said though a bilateral meeting with Pakistan was scheduled to take place in Islamabad on February 14-16 to resolve the transit fee issue, no agreement was likely unless elections take place in that country and a new government is sworn in.

Source : PTI