Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline project not shelved: India

As the natural gas comes via Pakistan from Iran, there are some serious security concerns. "Apart from what we see is happening in the world today, we need Lloyds or other major global insurance giants setting up a new division and undertake the risk so that we can start the project," he said.

On the global threat of terrorism and how India is planning to take up the issue at the Security Council, the official, who did not wished to be named, said elements such as Taliban or Al-Qaeda are the core issues.

"We know where the wiper or the snake comes from? We have to collectively deal with that. Pakistan is one country that is itself feeling the problems of terrorism now and the bigger problem faced by that country today is terrorism," he said.

On the question of expansion of G-20 to include more developing countries, the senior diplomat, who enunciated the strategic agenda before India as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council from January 2011, said India is vary about small groups that were designed for a particular purpose suddenly gets expand because others want to be in and it does not serve the purpose.

"G-20 was born as a group of finance ministers when the East Asian economic crisis took place in 1997. The world financial and economic crisis took place in 2008 and no one knew how to deal with it including the US, the International Monetary Fund the World Bank had no clue. It was then decided to upgrade the finance ministers group to a heads of state governments so that they could do macro economic coordination and stimulus package and be able to produce reasonably good results. G-20 is big enough as it has the major economies and emerging economies," he said.

"If another crisis takes place, nations have to turn to some countries that are able to deliver the goods. India is yet to take a complete view on this stand," he said. On the global issues India will be facing as a non-permanent member, he said North Korea is a factor Security Council should concern itself and no member of the Council will disagree on this.

On Myanmar, he said there are two approaches. One is broadly speaking the kind of approach India has taken along with some other very important countries in the region like China.

"India favors talking to the Myanmari regime bilaterally and urges them to reform and get their acts together... India feels that slow incremental approach is good and other countries followed India in the approach and we succeeded in Myanmar resulting in the conduct of elections.

"One may say the elections were not good enough and that’s their point of view. I sat with the Friends of Myanmar group organised by the Secretary General on December 6 and I was startled to see the kinds of statements coming from some of them. China has a very clear position and so do nations and groups like India, Singapore, Vietnam and ASEAN and all are on the same page," the official said.

He said on the global level India is worried about Sudan. "The referendum is scheduled to take place and we hope it takes place as per schedule. The referendum could result in cession and accompanying violence... It should be managed in a manner so both the outcome is respected," he said.

The official said India sending Peacekeeping force to Congo is part of India's tradition. "I would need to be persuaded that continuation of Indian peacekeeping presence in DRC is anything to do with Indian economic influence."

On the question of President Obama’s visit to India recently as a counter to China and Pakistan, the senior diplomat said India has excellent relations with China and its Prime Minister is coming to India for a wide ranging of talks.

Both the nations looking at global issues like climate change trade issues or G-20 in a spirit of development close cooperation. China is a USD 5 trillion dynamic economy and India is hoping to become a USD 2 trillion economy. There are some issues in bilateral relationship.

"Next year President Obama is planning to go to Pakistan and he had already visited China. Will we say he went there to contain India? India and Pakistan can resolve their issues bilaterally. Similarly India and China can resolve their issues bilaterally."

India's presence in Afghanistan is for pure development and New Delhi has spent USD 1 billion so far for peace and prosperity of Afghanisatn is who share an umbilical cord relationship with India, he said.