Pakistan has better options than Iran pipeline: US
23 February, 2013
WASHINGTON: The United States says there are "better and more cost-effective" ways for Pakistan to address its energy needs than projects like the Pak-Iran gas pipeline. "We understand that Pakistan has significant energy needs and requirements, but there are other long-term solutions to Pakistan's energy needs that we believe would have better potential for success and better meet Pakistan's needs than spending scarce resources on projects like this," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters at the daily press briefing on Thursday. She was responding to a question about press reports that Pakistan would face US sanctions if it went ahead with the Pak-Iran pipeline project. "Let me just say broadly that we continue our dialogue with Pakistan with regard to Iran," she said. "We've made it clear to countries around the world, including Pakistan, that we believe that it's in their interest to avoid activities that could be prohibited by UN sanctions or that could be sanctionable under US law." The United States, she added, was involved in many ways to help Pakistan address its energy needs, including ones that would add some 900 megawatts of power to the grid by 2013, enough power to supply an estimated two million households. However, she did not clear if the proposed gas pipeline came under sanctionable items. End.
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