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Iran seeks India's help in tankers' transit

By Atul Aneja

MANAMA (BAHRAIN) OCT. 22. Iran has advocated working together with India to safeguard transiting oil tankers in the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean and to ensure the security of energy pipelines in the region.

During a meeting on Sunday with the visiting Foreign Secretary, Kanwal Sibal, the Secretary of Iran's National Security Council, Hasan Rowhani, said that "security cooperation between Iran and India in the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean, specially for energy transit and regional energy pipelines and reducing crises in the region, is very important.''

Mr. Sibal was in Teheran for foreign office consultations as well as to participate in the Indo-Iran

Strategic Dialogue that was cleared during the visit of the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, to Iran. Talks between the two sides also covered the recent developments between India and Pakistan.

Mr. Rowhani welcomed the recent moves by India and Pakistan to reduce forces along the Line of Control (LoC). Both sides discussed the proposed gas pipeline from Iran to India. Mr. Sibal said the proposal was of "strategic" importance. The Indo-Iran gas pipeline project has been held up due to the existing tensions between India and Pakistan.

Analysts point out that the most feasible transit route for a pipeline was across the Pakistani mainland. India, however, on security considerations, is not in favour of this route unless tensions between the two sides ease.

|The Indian side, indicated during talks its accent on greater economic cooperation with Pakistan to bring about a thaw in the New Delhi-Islamabad political relationship.

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