Viewpoint
GECF Ought to Model Itself on OPEC to Defeat US Terrorism
By: Kayhan Int’l Staff Writer
Natural Gas is undoubtedly among the greatest blessings of the Almighty for the benefit as well as the trial of mankind, which as in all other cases is in the state of scrutiny, whether on its use for peaceful development or its misuse for damaging the environment and human health.
According to scientists, Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) which is used in various industries including cooking and warming in winter, is a low carbon fuel and the least environmentally damaging.
Iran, with its 1,183 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of proven gas reserves as of 2017, ranks 2nd in the world (after Russia) and accounts for about 17% of the world’s total natural gas reserves of 6,923 Tcf that represent the equivalent of about 205 billion barrels of oil.
This is indeed a Divine Favour, and the Islamic Republic, following the victory of the Islamic Revolution, has built an extensive network of pipelines to make natural gas available to homes and the common man.
It also exports the surplus production to countries such as Turkey and Iraq, while the peace pipeline to supply gas to Pakistan and India, although completed on the Iranian side, has never become operational because of the economic terrorism of the US and the lack of courage of the governments of the consumer countries to defy the American sanctions for import of gas from Islamic Iran.
Here again, the devil is Washington and this was noted by the Iranian President in his keynote address to the 6th Summit of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) at its headquarters in Doha Qatar on Tuesday.
In his speech to the conference attended by 11 of the 19 GECF member states and seven observer states, Hojjat al-Islam Raisi deplored the devilish designs of the US and called for further cooperation among member countries to circumvent Washington’s economic terrorism, particularly the illegal sanctions imposed on some members.
He said: “The international community must prevent and not recognize any unilateral and coercive measure, such as the cruel US sanctions against the oil and gas industries of GECF member states.”
Of course, Iran over the past four decades, despite US hostility, has continued its path of progress and is determined to build with neighbouring countries a powerful forum, in the interests of the both the producers and the importers.
What is needed is a collective strategy based on cooperation among the GECF countries on the model of the Organization of Petrol Exporting Countries (OPEC), so that member states, in addition to their policy of providing fuel for economic development, will possess the clout to thwart and defeat the economic terrorism of the US.