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Rs 20.00 | Vol XVII No 131 | 8 Pages | Islamabad Edition
Pakistan, Qatar PreParing document for reoPening Hormuz amid indirect us-iran contacts: sources
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ISLAMABAD AGENCIES
AKISTANI and Qatari mediators are preparing a document to facilitate the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz after intensifying contacts with the United States, Iran and other regional partners, Pakistani government sources told Anadolu on Tuesday. The sources added that indirect contacts between the US and Iran through Pakistani and Qatari mediators are in the "final stage" to finalize the document. "A major development concerning reopening of the Strait of Hormuz under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding is expected this week as Pakistan and Qatar have intensified diplomatic contacts with Washington, Tehran and several other regional partners," said a source familiar with the developments. Oman, which has been in talks with Iran about future management of the Strait of Hormuz, is also "actively" involved in the latest diplomatic efforts to end hostilities and reopen the strait, said sources. The single-page document, according to sources, contains matters only related to the Strait of Hormuz, which would subsequently lead to the resumption of long-stalled direct talks between the US and Iran. Iran will reopen the strait, and in return, the
US will lift its blockade of the Iranian ports, according to the document, said the sources. There is no mention of Tehran's nuclear program in the document, they said. Following implementation of the document, mediators will finalize the date and venue for the resumption of direct talks in consultation with Washington and Tehran, the sources added. Contentious issues The sources said that the two warring sides are still at loggerheads on several issues, mainly tolls. "The US side is insisting that the Strait of Hormuz should be completely toll-free for commercial shipping as it was before the start of the war. While Tehran wants a 'service fee' to cover environmental and security costs," they said. The mediators, it added, are trying to find a solution which might offer a "middle way" to resolve the issue. Also, a source said Tehran is opposing the idea of different shipping corridors in the strait. The New York Times reported earlier that Iran and Oman are close to reaching an agreement to restore commercial maritime traffic through the strait. Under the potential deal, the report said, vessels entering the Gulf would travel through a shipping channel controlled by Iran and close to its coast, while outbound traffic would use a channel near Oman.
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