Middle East Digest: October 2, 2008The Middle East Digest provides text and audio from the Daily Press Briefing. For the full briefings, please visit daily press briefings. From the Daily Press Briefing of October 2, 2008 View Video MR. MCCORMACK: Well, with respect to the specific conference, I’ll try to provide you – we’ll try to provide you a very specific answer. But just going – very quickly going down that list, Total pulled out of its investment in the South Pars gas field, so that is hardly a vote of confidence in doing business in Iran. With respect to OMV, I know that we have talked to the Austrian Government about any investments that they would be considering in the Iran oil and gas industry. I’ll see if we differentiate between participation and any other activities. I would say though, in general, that now is not the time to be discussing with Iran investments in its oil and gas industry, given its status in the international community regarding its behaviors which are clearly outside the norm and have been judged by the Security Council to be outside acceptable international behavior. QUESTION: On Iran? MR. MCCORMACK: Yeah. QUESTION: Reports in Iranian websites have said that the U.S. Government has authorized U.S.-based NGO to open up an office in Tehran. MR. MCCORMACK: I’ll check for you. I don’t have anything on that. Yeah, Nina. QUESTION: Can we go back to the India deal? Pakistan is now saying publicly that they want a similar kind of deal. Is there any prospect of this? MR. MCCORMACK: At the moment, I’m not aware of a contemplation of a similar such deal at this time with Pakistan. QUESTION: But can I – I mean, you say that there’s no deal – similar deal with Pakistan, you know, in the works or -- MR. MCCORMACK: Mm-hmm. QUESTION: Have they -- in your discussions with the President recently and with the Pakistanis, have they expressed an interest to you for such a deal? MR. MCCORMACK: In the most recent meeting with the Secretary, that’s the only one I can personally speak to at this point. That issue did not come up. I know that the issue has come up periodically in public. I think I’ve had to answer questions about it before and our position is the same. Yeah. QUESTION: Thank you. |
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