June 01, 2007	Friday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 15, 1428

PESHAWAR, May 31: The Iranian consul-general on Thursday said that main hurdles in the way of the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project had been removed and the remaining minor issues relating to transit between Pakistan and India would be resolved soon.

Speaking at a guest’s hour programme of the Peshawar Press Club, Consul-General Mohammad Iqbal Asghari said that Iran was pursuing the project and its completion would benefit all three partners.

He said the early completion of the IPI project would promote trade between Iran and Pakistan, adding that opponents of the project would fail in their efforts.

The consul-general said that Iran had already given the gas price to both India and Pakistan and was confident that after the removal of the remaining hurdles, the project would be executed with fast pace.

Mr Asghari said that his country had huge natural gas reservoirs and Iran being Pakistan’s old friend could fulfil its energy requirements.

He said that annual trade between Iran and Pakistan stood at $600 million, adding that efforts were on to bring it to the $1 billion level.

On bilateral relations, he said Iran and Pakistan were intertwined with each other in cultural, religious, economic and political sectors and both had common goals of freeing their people from poverty and backwardness.

He said that sectarian violence was one of the imperialist powers’ conspiracies against the Muslim world, adding that it had inflicted heavy losses on the Ummah.

“Iran has been struggling for the unity of Muslim Ummah, but it will never export its revolution to other countries,” the consul-general said.

“Iran is clear about its political ideals and will never impose its political will on other neighbouring countries.”

Responding to a question, he said the United States had failed to implicate Iran in its trap.