India undecided on IPI

NEW DELHI, Oct. 30 (UPI) -- India says it has not yet decided whether to respond to Pakistan's invitation for talks on the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline.

A senior official of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry said uncertainty loomed over talks between India and Pakistan on a transit fee for the pipeline and that the United States was pressuring India not to go ahead with the deal.

India stayed away from trilateral discussions in Tehran in September over the issue.

Pakistani Petroleum Secretary Farrakh Qayyum invited India for bilateral talks in November, The Hindu newspaper reported Tuesday. The official said the latest developments on the India-U.S. front created uncertainty over the proposed talks.

“With regard to the Iran pipeline issue … we are hopeful that India won’t move forward on this,” said David McCormick, U.S. undersecretary of treasury for international affairs.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, currently on a visit to India, is likely to discuss the issue with Indian officials during high-level discussions.