http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006%5C06%5C25%5Cstory_25-6-2006_pg7_334//The Daily Times, Pakistan Sunday, June 25, 2006
PAKISTAN TO ASK FOR NUCLEAR COOPERATION AT TALKS WITH US
Pakistan-US dialogue starts in Washington tomorrow
By Fida Hussain
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will seek closer nuclear energy cooperation with the United States as the two countries hold a crucial dialogue on energy collaboration in Washington on June 26.
(SNIP)
The Pakistan delegation includes officials from the ministries of water and power, petroleum and natural resources, finance and foreign affairs.
An official said Islamabad wanted the US to treat Pakistan and India equally. Pakistan wants a deal with the US for nuclear energy cooperation similar to the US-India nuclear deal signed in March this year. Being a frontline state in the US war on terror, Pakistan should be treated better than the way Washington treated New Delhi in the recent past, the official said.
(SNIP)
The delegation will give a detailed briefing to the US authorities about the proposed transnational gas pipeline projects is involved in, including the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) pipeline, the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP) pipeline, and power transmission lines from Central Asia.
Pakistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, at a recently held Central Asia-South Asia Electricity Trade Conference in Islamabad, agreed on a transmission line to bring power from Central Asia to Pakistan via Afghanistan.
The US-Pakistan dialogue is expected to give special attention to the IPI project as the US is still pressing Pakistan and India to abandon the $7 billion project with Tehran. However, both Pakistan and India need natural gas to power their growing industrial sectors.