Islamic Pipeline states meet in Baghdad http://tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=239977

The new round of talks between Iran, Syria, and Iraq for construction of the Islamic Pipeline kicked off in Baghdad on Monday.The pipeline’s route, price, transit fee, and foreign financiers will be discussed in the meeting, Mehr news agency reported. The previous round of talks was held in Tehran in February.On January 20, Iran and Syria signed an agreement to build an Islamic gas pipeline to transfer Iran’s natural gas to Europe in Damascus. Previously, Deputy Oil Minister Javad Owji had said that, “After several round of talks, the new path for the export of Iran’s natural gas to Europe has been agreed upon (by Iran and Syria) by signing a document.” 

The official, who is also the managing director of Iran’s National Gas Company, said that the new corridor of natural gas to Europe will pass through Iran, Iraq, Syria, southern Lebanon territories and also through Mediterranean basin.Owji said that the agreement, by means of which the natural gas of Iran’s South Pars and Assalouyeh fields will be transferred to Europe, was reached in Damascus meeting between the officials of the two countries. The gas pipeline will send 110 million cubic meters of natural gas on daily basis to Europe, said Iranian official. 

Previously, Owji had explained that Iraq has granted the permission to transfer Iranian gas to Syria via Iraq. Owji went on to say that Iran is ready to export natural gas to Iraq in two phases, with 7-8 million cubic meters and 12 million cubic meters in the first and second phases respectively. “Two European companies have suggested 6 routes for exporting Iranian gas to Europe. Persian pipeline, Nabucco Pipeline and the Iran-Iraq-Syria-Italy pipeline are the main proposed routes,” he added. Syrian Oil Minister Sufian Allaw visited Tehran in August 2010 to discuss the possibility of shipping Iran’s gas to Europe through Syrian territories. Both sides reviewed plans to build an oil refinery and infrastructure in Syria to transport Iranian oil.

[also see..The ShamGen project http://world.mediamonitors.net/Headlines/ShamGen-paves-the-way-for-Muslim-Unity   "The volume of trade between Iran, Turkey, Syria and Iraq has currently reached around $40 billion a year, which might increase to $200 billion with the ShamGen project.