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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| Aziz expects progress on gas pipeline |
| 2005-02-23 |
| ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz arrived in Teheran yesterday. Earlier before flying to Iran Aziz said that he expected to make "substantial progress" on a proposed gas pipeline project running from Iran to India. "In my view, there will be substantial progress on the gas pipeline project during this trip," Aziz told state television before leaving for a three-day trip to Iran. If the $4 billion project takes off, it will earn Pakistan millions of dollars from transit fees, but more importantly it will create an economic link with nuclear rival India, with which it has fought three wars in the past. During talks in Islamabad last week to push along a year-old peace process, India signalled it was willing "to look at" the project, subject to security considerations. Diplomatic momentum behind a project dubbed "the peace pipeline" has built up fast. |
| Posted by:Steve White |