India puts off IPI pipeline talks

NEW DELHI—India has put on hold talks with Pakistan on IPI gas pipeline project to resolve transit fee issue till the new government is installed in Pakistan after the elections.
Petroleum Minister Murli Deora was scheduled to visit Pakistan on an invitation from Pakistan Petroleum Minister Ahsanullah Khan on Feb 7 but he was asked to postpone his visit till the new government is set up in Pakistan, media reports quoting sources said.
Meanwhile, India has once again decided not to attend the trilateral talks convened in Tehran next week on the proposed gas pipeline project. India has been boycotting such meetings since July, 2007. The sources said Petroleum Secretary M S Srinivasan, ONGC Chairman R S Sharma, GAIL Chairman U D Choubey and IOC Chairman Sarthak Behuria were to accompany Deora on the visit to Islamabad to sort out the transit fee issue ahead of the trilateral meeting called by Iran on February 12-13 in Tehran to finalise the deal.
Sources said Indian Petroleum Minister is now expected to visit Pakistan in early March to resolve the transit fee issue and then it will send a delegation to Tehran to ink the deal.
Pakistan and India have already reached broad understanding on the transportation tariff payable to Pakistan for transporting the gas through the 1,035-km pipeline passing through Pakistan, the sources said.—Agencies