Iranian President Mahmoud Admadinejad met Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday in Islamabad ahead of a tri-lateral summit of the leaders of Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Pakistani press reported that during the meeting Zardari reiterated Pakistani commitment to complete the Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline [The Express Tribune, 17 February].
The proposed IP pipeline originally included India, but the Indians withdrew their participation and opted instead for the US-backed Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline. Iran has completed the construction of IP pipeline on its side, but the Pakistanis, despite their repeated expression of interest and commitment to the project, are yet to start any work on their side.
Iran has also offered Pakistan deferred oil payments, but that offer was quickly and unexpectedly met with a similar offer from Iraq. The Pakistanis are reportedly negotiating with the Iraqis to finalize a long-term oil contract.
Photo: iranian President Ahmadinejad (l.) with Pakistani President Zardari. Islamabad, 16 February. Photo: Press TV
'PAKISTAN WILL BACK IRAN IN CASE OF FOREIGN ATTACK: ZARDARI
ReplyDeleteFri Feb 17, 2012 10:44AM GMT
Amid the US-led publicity campaign on the prospect of an Israeli military strike on Iran, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari says his country will support Iran against any foreign aggression, Press TV reports.
Islamabad will also not provide any assistance to Washington over a conflict with Tehran, Zardari told reporters in a joint press conference with his Iranian and Afghan counterparts Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hamid Karzai in Islamabad on Friday.
The Pakistani president further stated that Islamabad would not permit foreign pressure to affect its ties with Tehran and stressed the importance of implementing a joint gas pipeline project with Iran.
The Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project is meant to export a daily amount of 21.5 million cubic meters (8.7 billion cubic meters per year) of the Iranian natural gas to Pakistan.
mat, while what Zardari said is welcomed news, Pakistan itself is in no position to do anything..His country is currently under attack by US drones almost on a daily basis and he can't do a damn thing about it..
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't read too much into what Zardari(Mr. 10%) says..
He's not the one that calls the shots..
mat..stop holding on to straws Zardari is a charlatan.
ReplyDeleteThere is a saying in Iran that a Pakistani will rip off their mothers nipple to sell it.
Zardari went on to say that should iran be attacked he personally would lead Pakistan in making a strong statement against the attack
ReplyDeletein return for discounted oil and weaponry the iranian regime and a 5% commission paid to his personal bank account in Switzerland