New Delhi, April 29 :Pushing to seal the gas pipeline, visiting Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said tonight that India, Pakistan and Iran would conclude discussions within 45 days for the implementation of the $7.4-billion gas pipeline project.

This decision was taken at a meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Iranian leader. Calling it a “peace pipeline,” Ahmadinejad said the project had social, political and economic implications for Iran, Pakistan and India. He was addressing a press conference winding up his six-hour visit.

On the proposal to extend the pipeline to China, Ahmadinejad said: “We have received one proposal. We will evaluate it and consider its merit and evaluate all aspects of the proposal (before taking a decision).”

The Iranian President brushed aside US reservations slamming Washington for playing the bully. On a question on recent comments made by the US on Indo-Iran relations, the Iranian president, said with a smile, “I think Indian officials gave a very good and appropriate answer (to US).”

Asked about India’s vote against Iran at the IAEA, Ahmadinejad said that relations between the two countries were “much deeper” and he wanted to “look forward” given the “many cultural and historical commonalities.”

Addressing a separate press conference, Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon said the IPI was a doable project though a “lot of work” needs to be done to ensure that is commercially viable, secure and there were assured supplies. The Iranian President said there was “a real threat” from the US but Tehran would not be cowed down and will continue to use nuclear power for peaceful purposes.

On the situation in the region, the Iranian President said the US was an occupying force in Iraq and Afghanistan and must leave at the earliest to save its face.

He claimed the high international oil prices were not due to demand-supply issues but to the devaluing US dollar. “There is problem in dollar. It is no longer a dollar but a handful of paper,” Ahmadinejad said. The Iranian leader visited Pakistan on Monday before moving on to Sri Lanka and then India.

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