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Saudi Arabia offers Pakistan energy package to abandon Iran pipeline

ISLAMABAD, April 11 (KUNA) -- The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has offered Pakistan an "alternative package" to meet Islamabad's growing energy needs in exchange for abandoning its multibillion gas pipeline project with Iran.
Saudi Arabia looks askance at Pakistan's commitment to pursue energy cooperation with Iran and is nudging the government to reconsider its decision, local newspaper Dawn reported here on Wednesday, citing Islamabad-based Arab diplomatic sources.
This was the essence of a message from the Saudi King conveyed by Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Prince Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz in his meetings with Pakistani leaders on Tuesday.
Dawn reported that Riyadh is said to have offered an "alternative package" to meet Islamabad's growing energy needs in an effort to persuade it to abandon the Iran gas pipeline and electricity/oil import deals.
The deputy foreign minister's visit closely follows a trip by Saudi Culture and Information Minister Dr. Abdul Aziz bin Mohiuddin Al-Khoja last week, which coincided with Chief of Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani's visit to Saudi Arabia.
The exchanges took place against the backdrop of an intensifying cold war between Tehran and Riyadh over Syria with smaller confrontations over Bahrain, Yemen, and other parts of the region. The meetings are also taking place at a time when diplomatic efforts for dealing with the Syrian crisis have picked momentum.
Riyadh sees the situation in Syria as key to the future of the Middle East and has been spearheading efforts to isolate Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad.
The statements issued by the Presidency, Prime Minister's Office, and the Foreign Office all spoke about the cordial ties between the two countries and noted the discussions on "regional and international challenges".
Mr. Aziz also had a one-to-one interaction with Prime Minister Gilani, besides the delegation meeting, during which, a prime ministerial aide said, a "special message" from the Saudi monarch was delivered.
A senior Foreign Ministry official confirmed that Iran and the situation in Syria were on the agenda of the talks. "They have a position. We reiterated our desire for the issues relating to Muslim Ummah to be peacefully resolved through dialogue," he added.
Saudi Arabia is also said to have offered a loan and oil facility to bail Pakistan out of its financial and energy crises. A Pakistani official said the offer would be discussed at the Pak-Saudi joint ministerial meeting, currently in planning. (end) amn.wsa KUNA 111231 Apr 12NNNN