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 The implementation of the pipeline project will begin in 2010, and the first supplies of gas should start flowing through the 1,680-km pipeline in 2015, Indian Petroleum Secretary M. S. Srinivasan said at a joint press conference of Ministers and officials of all the four participating countries after their two-day deliberations. The pipeline is to carry 3.2 billion cubic ft of gas a day. It will begin at the Dauletabad gas field in Turkemenistan, pass through Herat and Kandahar in Afghanistan, and Multan in Pakistan, ending at Fazilka on the India-Pakistan border. Security issues "We will sort out the security issues when the project begins,' said Pakistan Oil and Natural Resources Minister Khwaja Asif. The Pakistan Minister attributed the delays in the project thus far to the troubles in the region. "We are living in a volatile region, and it has made things go slow,' he said. He said the Turkmen government had agreed to provide a third party certification of its gas reserves within five months. Independent verification of the reserves is a major concern for the participating countries and was one of the main issues discussed at the 10th Steering Committee meeting of TAPI that ended this afternoon with the signing of the Gas Pipeline Framework Agreement. The agreement formally inducts India into the project as a full member. Officials said the Asian Development Bank, which conceptualised and has actively lobbied for the project, only played the role of an "honest broker' in facilitating the four governments to come together. The bank would not fund the project. Pricing issues The meeting also touched upon pricing issues, with Pakistan and India jointly making a counter-proposal to the Turkmen proposal for the pricing formula. Mr. Srinivasan said the matter would be taken up in further technical-level meetings between now and the 11th Steering Committee meeting, which is to be held in New Delhi later this year. On Friday, Petroleum Minister Murli Deora and Mr, Asif will meet to discuss the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline project. Deora meets Zardari After the TAPI meeting, Mr. Deora called on Pakistan People's Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and condoled the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. A PPP release said the two also discussed "matters of mutual interest' during the meeting that lasted 30 minutes.