The Petroleum Ministers of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India signed an agreement on Thursday for the $7.6 million-TAPI gas pipeline project, describing it as "financially and economically viable' despite the escalation in costs since the time it was first proposed. Two-day deliberations

Pakistan, India, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan on Thursday agreed to start construction of a gas pipeline project involving the four nations in the year 2010. Ministers from all four countries had earlier held a two-day discussion starting on Wednesday to finalise the modalities. The second meeting of the technical working group of the four countries was held on Thursday before a joint press conference by the four ministers. The discussions were facilitated by a team of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) led by country director Peter Fedon.

Seeking to work aggressively to secure its aim of energy security, India has decided to formally join the strategic U.S.-backed $3.5 billion Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project this week. Before leaving for Pakistan on Tuesday afternoon, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister, Murli Deora told journalists here that the Indian delegation was going to Pakistan to sign the agreement for the TAPI pipeline at the invitation of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Emission of natural gas through thousands of holes at Shyampur and Anandapur villages, Loiska Beel and Titas riverbed from Bakail and Shuhilpur areas near Brahmanbaria Titas Gas Field is posing threat to people and environment. A number of small holes that emerged three years ago have now expanded into big ones and the problem is gradually affecting new areas. As a remedy for the situation, authorities in early February this year completed killing of dilapidated well No 3 of Brahmanbaria Titas Gas Field but emission of gas through holes in the nearby areas has continued.

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Russia's Gazprom took further steps to strengthen its hold on natural gas supplies to Europe on Thursday, signing a joint venture with Libya and saying it was in preliminary talks on a multibillion dollar project to pipe Nigerian gas to Europe across the Sahara. News of the two projects came as Vladimir Putin, Russian president, became the first Russian leader since 1985 to visit Libya. According to the country's official news agency, Libyan leader Muammer Gaddafi said during talks with Mr Putin he supported the idea of forming an Opec-style group of gas-exporting countries.

Pakistan and Iran are likely to sign the gas pipeline project by April 25, even if India chooses to stay away for the time being, officials said. "If India does not want to join in the agreement immediately, it can join later. We will sign it bilaterally for the time being," a senior government official told this newspaper. He said the Pakistan government wants to complete the project soon due to increasing demand for gas. A draft had also been prepared in this regard. "India can always join us. We are not excluding them. We want them to sign it with us," the official said.

By Roman Olearchyk in Kiev, Neil Buckley in Moscow and,Frances Williams in Geneva Ukraine is likely to be in a position to block Russia's bid to join the World Trade Organisation later this year, giving it significant leverage that it could use in natural gas supply talks or in retaliation over Moscow's opposition to plans by Ukraine and Georgia to join Nato.

A landmark deal reached between Russia's state-controlled gas monopoly Gazprom and three energy-rich Central Asian nations is likely to affect European consumers. On March 11, Gazprom agreed

The European Union has broken through in efforts to lessen its dependence on Russian natural gas with a concrete offer of extra supplies from Turkmenistan. Benita Ferrero-Waldner, EU external relations commissioner, said the Turkmen president had last week guaranteed that 10bn cubic metres of gas a year would be available for the EU. President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov's pledge comes amid intense competition for access to Turkmenistan's huge gas reserves since the death last year of Saparmurat Niyazov, its isolationist former leader.