March, 14 2005	Monday	03 Safar 1426

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NEW DELHI, March 13: The United States denied on Sunday it was exerting any ‘pressure’ as such on India to abandon the multi-billion dollar India-Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline project, but admitted it considered it ‘unwise’ to allow Iran to raise resources for its nuclear programme.

United News of India said

US Ambassador to India David C. Mulford had met Indian Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar and raised concerns over the project. It quoted the US deputy chief of mission

at the US embassy, Robert O. Blake, as giving this statement

in Jaipur.

Speaking to reporters, Mr Blake denied knowledge about the ‘specifics’ of the Indo-Iranian deal, but added that it was ‘unwise’ to “allow Iran to get resources for further development of their nuclear programme”.

A memorandum of understanding for laying the pipeline from Iran’s South Pars gas field to India was signed in 1992, but the project was held up since due to security and other reasons.

Mr Blake was in Jaipur to inaugurate an exhibition of photographs from the US National Archives.