Iranian companies begin second phase of IPI gas pipe-line; Barack Obama plans to meet Iranian President if Iran resumed talk over nuclear programme
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    • The National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) and Khatam-ol-Anbia Construction Headquarters reached an agreement over the $200-250 million project to carry out the second phase of the proposed Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project, dubbed as the Peace Pipeline. The first phase of the project was put into operation in July this year. The IPI route which covers the distance of 2,775-kilometer, is designed to transport Iranian gas to Pakistan and India. But the signing of a final deal has been delayed several times over price as well as political issues. Iran, Pakistan, and India had conceptualized the Peace Pipeline project in 1990s, to help boost peace and security in the region. However, due to the tense India-Pakistan relations, New Delhi stepped back from the later stages of negotiations, though it never formally withdrew from the project.1

    United States National Security Adviser Gen. James Jones has indicated that President Obama may be prepared to meet Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad if Iran resumed negotiations over its nuclear program. Gen. James Jones also pointed out that return of three American hikers held in Iran for the past year would be an “important gesture” in this regard. Earlier this month, Ahmadinejad had requested face-to-face talks with Obama during the UN General Assembly meeting in New York. However, the White House had ruled out any such meeting. However, in an interview with CNN, Gen Jones indicated that “the door’s open” if the Iranians agree to resume talks with the International Atomic Energy Agency.2

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