"Pakistan standing firm on Iran pipeline plan"
LONDON, January 26 (IranMania) - Pakistan has no plans to ditch a natural gas pipeline deal with Iran amid pressure from the United States, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said in an interview published on Thursday, AFP reported.
Musharraf told the Financial Times newspaper that his country needed the gas for economic development and no government had the right to oppose the project.
At the same time, he signalled the possibility that the United States could pay Pakistan to step away from the deal.
"Our industrial growth, foreign direct investment, depends on availability of energy," Musharraf told the newspaper in the interview conducted on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in the Swiss Alpine village of Davos.
"We are proceeding with the pipeline. It is in our economic interest. If somebody wants to stop us they should compensate us ... But at the moment we are going ahead."
Earlier this month, Washington said it was "absolutely opposed" to a natural gas pipeline project linking Iran with Pakistan and India. The United States is openly wary of Iran, which it accuses of trying to build a nuclear bomb, AFP said.
Tehran is reportedly nearing an accord with the two neighbours for the 2,600-kilometre (1,600-mile) pipeline costing more than seven billion dollars.
Turning to other issues, Musharraf condemned a suspected US air strike earlier this month in remote Pakistan targeting Al-Qaeda members that killed as many as 18 civilians.
The president said he told the US government such activity must not be repeated on Pakistani territory.
"It has been very clearly told to the US we do not want anybody to take such actions within the borders of Pakistan," he said.
Musharraf was eager to promote his country, which is often overshadowed by excitement over China and India, to foreign investors as a valuable emerging market.
"Our economy is on an upsurge. We have been growing at 8.4%. I am very sure that this year growth will be between seven and eight percent," he said.
The Pakistani leader brushed aside fears about millitant groups in Pakistan.
"There were Al-Qaeda and Taliban in the cities. We acted against them, we got about 700 of them. There are no Al-Qaeda in the cities any more."
The remaining Al-Qaeda and Taliban operatives in Pakistan numbered just a few dozen and were hiding in the mountains, Musharraf said.
"There is no instability issue in Pakistan at all. Pakistan is absolutely safe and secure."
Musharraf told the Financial Times newspaper that his country needed the gas for economic development and no government had the right to oppose the project.
At the same time, he signalled the possibility that the United States could pay Pakistan to step away from the deal.
"Our industrial growth, foreign direct investment, depends on availability of energy," Musharraf told the newspaper in the interview conducted on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in the Swiss Alpine village of Davos.
"We are proceeding with the pipeline. It is in our economic interest. If somebody wants to stop us they should compensate us ... But at the moment we are going ahead."
Earlier this month, Washington said it was "absolutely opposed" to a natural gas pipeline project linking Iran with Pakistan and India. The United States is openly wary of Iran, which it accuses of trying to build a nuclear bomb, AFP said.
Tehran is reportedly nearing an accord with the two neighbours for the 2,600-kilometre (1,600-mile) pipeline costing more than seven billion dollars.
Turning to other issues, Musharraf condemned a suspected US air strike earlier this month in remote Pakistan targeting Al-Qaeda members that killed as many as 18 civilians.
The president said he told the US government such activity must not be repeated on Pakistani territory.
"It has been very clearly told to the US we do not want anybody to take such actions within the borders of Pakistan," he said.
Musharraf was eager to promote his country, which is often overshadowed by excitement over China and India, to foreign investors as a valuable emerging market.
"Our economy is on an upsurge. We have been growing at 8.4%. I am very sure that this year growth will be between seven and eight percent," he said.
The Pakistani leader brushed aside fears about millitant groups in Pakistan.
"There were Al-Qaeda and Taliban in the cities. We acted against them, we got about 700 of them. There are no Al-Qaeda in the cities any more."
The remaining Al-Qaeda and Taliban operatives in Pakistan numbered just a few dozen and were hiding in the mountains, Musharraf said.
"There is no instability issue in Pakistan at all. Pakistan is absolutely safe and secure."
posted by Marko at 1/26/2006 03:53:00 AM
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