Tuesday, June 14 2005 13:34 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: India and Pakistan should not give up the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project and reject US "pressure" against it, the Communist Party of India Marxist (CPM) said today (Jun 14, 2005).

It also asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to convey this stand to Washington during his upcoming visit.

Observing that US was "stepping up pressure" to scuttle the project, the party Polit Bureau said in a statement that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice recently conveyed to Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri that the project "could violate Iran and Libya Sanctions Act" passed by the US.

"This blatant pressure by the United States should be rejected by both India and Pakistan," it said, adding that US "pressure" came in the wake of Iran, Pakistan and India setting up a joint working group to take forward the pipeline project to bring Iranian gas to India.

The Prime Minister during his visit to Washington next month "must convey India's stand that it will not give up this project due to American pressure", the CPM said.

According to Pakistani media reports, while Kasuri at his meeting with Rice made out a strong case for Islamabad opting for the project, Rice told him that the project could violate Iran and Libya Sanctions Act of 1996 of US (ILSA), which forbids more than $20 million investment in Iranian oil sector.

Rice informed Kasuri that the project was against US laws and the violator could be deprived of American economic assistance and may also face sanctions, Pakistan daily 'Dawn' had reported.