July 9, 2002	Tuesday	Rabi-us-Sani 27,1423

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ASHKABAD, July 8: Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources, Usman Aminuddin, arrived here to attend a three-day trilateral working group meeting of Pakistan, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan on oil and gas pipelines from Turkmenistan to Pakistan.

The meeting will finalize technical details of the four- billion dollars trans-Afghanistan oil pipeline project and allied liquefied natural gas plant in Gwadar.

Joint secretary development Khurshid Anwar and Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) managing director Mukhtar Ahmad are accompanying the minister.

The trilateral working group, comprising energy ministers and senior officials of the three countries, was constituted on May 30 with two other working groups to implement the pipeline project, enhance trade, and develop rail links between the three nations.

It was part of an agreement which was signed here by President General Pervez Musharraf, Turkmenistan President Saparmurat Niyazov, and Afghanistan Interim Administration Chairman Hamid Karzai on May 30.

Besides, the agreement for the construction of 1,500 kilometre-long gas pipeline, the three leaders had decided to take measures to develop road and rail links and improve trade ties between the three countries.

It seems the two other working groups are far from scheduling a meeting in the near future, but the oil and gas pipeline group has taken the lead in view of the international interest in the project.

Pakistan has already established a separate energy firm, Inter-state Company Limited, to look after the import of gas projects and its distribution in the local market. The company is jointly owned by the two gas utilities SNGPL and SSGCL.

Pakistan’s petroleum ministry was given a comprehensive briefing on the technical details, including probable routes, pipeline technicalities, and finances.

A plant of liquefied natural gas (LNG) would be set up at Gwadar for export of hydrocarbon to the markets in the Far East, including Japan, in cylinders and ships.

Afghanistan is expected to earn around US$300 million as royalty for allowing the pipeline to pass through its territory.

The working groups are required to meet at least once in three months. —APP