NEW DELHI

: India will express its continued interest in the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project when Iranian foreign minister Manouchehr

Mottaki visits next week. This stand, however, has more to do with New Delhi’s desire to checkmate China.

New Delhi’s renewed expression of interest in the pipeline project comes in the backdrop of Iran’s very public statement that China is interested in joining the project. In fact has been using the China angle to push New Delhi back to the negotiating mode. Of course Pakistan immediately embraced the idea saying it could become the Iran-Pakistan-China pipeline.

“We are interested and it is very much on the agenda,’’ sources said when asked about the pipeline project. The issue is expected to be taken up during bilateral discussions between external affairs minister S.M. Krishna and Mr Mottaki. Sources further said that the two sides will go into greater detail during the meeting of the joint working group on energy that is expected to be held soon. In fact Mr Mottaki’s delegation also has senior representatives from the petroleum sector.

The negotiations on the pipeline have been stuck over the issue of pricing and security. India and Iran have differences of opinion on the point of delivery of the gas and on pricing. “There are issues that need to be resolved,’’ sources said and added that this was a project would require patience. The issue of security in particular has come into greater focus thanks to the increased instability in Pakistan and now due to Iran’s own problem with on the terror front. The pipeline is expected to go through Pakistan’s troubled areas which India, especially after the Mumbai terror attacks, is not keen on.

Though these sticking points are unlikely to be resolved anytime soon, India wants to send the message across that it is still part of the IPI project and is not quitting the project.

The issue of security has also come into sharp focus for Iran which is also facing the problem of terror on its own border with Pakistan. The October incident where commanders of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps were killed in terror attacks in the province of Sistan-Balochistan near Iran’s border with Pakistan.