>>What CPM sympathisers write needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. (Btw, Indian stalinists are known for their servile attitude to anyone power in "Marxist -Leninist" states.)
>>Ulhas
>>Would you be so kind as to elaborate on the above a bit more? Are you
>>saying JG is a CPM symp?
Yes. The Editor of Frontline journal, N.Ram is also close to CPM. For the Left Nationalist perspective, CPM is the only organisationally important force in India. The Left Nationalists think they are the only (true) patriots. Everyone else is a collaborator. Truth is that India has much better record of standing up to Imperialism than even China. But facts don't matter to people driven by dogmas.
As for the substantive issue, see the news report "India to appoint consultants for pipeline project" below.
Ulhas
HindustanTimes.com
Friday, July 22, 2005
India to appoint consultants for pipeline project
Indo-Asian News Service
New Delhi, July 22, 2005
India is moving ahead with plans to appoint global financial consultants for the proposed Iran gas pipeline project as reports from Pakistan indicate a similar keenness to start the tri-nation project soon.
"As agreed by the India-Pakistan Joint Working Group, we are moving ahead with plans to appoint global financial consultants just as Pakistan will be doing. Iran has already appointed financial consultants BHP Billiton," petroleum ministry sources told IANS.
With the objective of ensuring a "safe and secure pipeline", as underlined by the three countries through two sets of agreements between India-Iran and Iran-Pakistan, it has been felt necessary to engage services of global financial consultants.
"As all the three countries do not have any previous experience or capability of a transnational pipeline project, it was thought necessary to engage the services of financial consultants to minimise risks and ensure a safe and secure project," the sources said.
Referring to the future of the project in the wake of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's remarks in the US earlier this week on the risks involved in the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline project, petroleum ministry sources said, "There is nothing to be agitated about. The prime minister has laid out certain principles which will guide us."
The petroleum ministry is of the view that the prime minister has only underlined the risks inherent in the project, which have been highlighted in the past too.
While "sensitising" on the risks, the sources felt the moves of the three countries in appointing global consultants are "precisely to address these risks and have in place built-in arrangements to guard against them".
With both India and Pakistan facing prospects of increasing energy shortage, the sources said: "Our decision on the Iran gas pipeline would taken in the national interest. No outsider has any role in it. As Pakistan has also said time and again, 'Our final view will be taken in the national interest'."
Earlier this month, during a meeting with Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf had said the proposed gas pipeline was in the interests of Pakistan, Iran and India and "no other country would be allowed to influence it".
Musharraf had expressed desire to see the "project start early as its completion will spur economic activities in the region".
All the three countries are targeting that preliminary discussions on the technical, financial, commercial and legal issues will be ironed out by yearend for the project to reach take-off stage by January.
The global consultants are expected to help iron out the issues on all these fronts and help instil confidence of prospective investors in the project -- that is expected to provide India 60-90 million standard cubic metres of gas per day (MMSCMD) from 2009-10 and Pakistan 10-60 MMSCMD natural gas.
The next round of bilateral talks between India and Iran are expected to be held here month-end, while India and Pakistan would be holding the joint working group meeting in August in Islamabad.
© HT Media Ltd. 2005.