Tehran hosts trilateral gas talks in April

TEHRAN, March 15 (UPI) -- Tehran aims to have a trilateral meeting on natural gas exports with delegates from Iraq and Syria in April, the country's oil minister said.

Iranian Petroleum Minister Masoud Mir Kazemi and Syrian Oil Minister Sofian Alao signed a memorandum of understanding on the export of Iranian gas to Syria in January. They also considered a proposal to build a natural gas pipeline through Iraq to connect the countries.

Alao visited Tehran in August to discuss the shipping Iranian gas to Europe through Syrian territory. Both sides reviewed plans to build an oil refinery and infrastructure in Syria to transport Iranian oil.

Kazemi said Tehran would host delegates from both nations in April to discuss exports and pipeline construction, the Iranian Student News Organization reports.

"It is expected that a Syria-Iran exporting line will go on stream by late 2011 by completion of the pipeline in Turkey territories," the minister added.

Energy advisers and financial sponsors would be selected after the April meeting.