THE Ukrainian government is prepared to join in the construction of a trans-Afghan gas pipeline joining the central Asian republic of Turkmenistan to Pakistan, Foreign Minister Anatoly Zlenko said in September. "A key issue is the participation of Ukrainian firms in the reconstruction of Afghanistan, and we have offered our services in the fields of power supplies, roads and bridges, and irrigation systems," Zlenko said after talks with his Afghan counterpart Abdullah Abdullah. "Ukraine is also interested in joining in the construction of the trans-Afghan gas pipe line linking Turkmenistan and Pakistan," he continued.

For his part, Abdullah said Ukrainian participation would be welcome in all projects, while stressing that there would be a "transparent tender process".

The trans-Afghan gas pipeline venture, drafted 20 years ago but never implemented because of the various Afghan wars, is intended to carry up to 30Bcum/yr of natural gas from the Dauletabad gasfields in Turkmenistan, bordering the Caspian Sea, to Pakistan. The 1,460-km long pipeline, projected as costing an estimated $2.5 billion, would bring central Asian gas to markets in energy-hungry Asia and contribute to the development of a region with a high level of poverty. Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Turkmenistan have said that they intended to carry out new studies before launching the tender process for construction of the pipeline.