ISLAMABAD, Dec 18: The visiting Vice President of Afghanistan, Hedayat Amin Arsala, said here on Wednesday that substantial progress has been achieved to sign a tripartite agreement next week for laying 1400km-long gas pipeline from Turkeministan to Pakistan costing $3 billion.

“Pakistan, Afghanistan and Turkeministan will be signing a historic agreement at Ashakabad probably on Dec 26 or 27 for laying the gas pipeline from Trukeministan to Pakistan,” he added.

Speaking at a news conference with Prime Minister’s Adviser on Finance, Shaukat Aziz, the Afghan VP said the Asian Development Bank (ADB) had taken a lot of interest in the project specially by funding its feasibility study.

He said a number of contentious issues in this behalf had already been sorted out.

Answering to a question he said he met President Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday and discussed with him increasing bilateral political and economic cooperation between the two countries.

However, he said he did not discuss a joint operation on borders by Pakistan and Afghan personnel to hunt down Al Qaeda men. “We certainly discussed how to have enhanced cooperation but we did not discuss the joint patrolling of borders for Al Qaeda,” he said.

Responding to another question he said the issue of Afghan transit trade was expected to be settled with the satisfaction of Hamid Karzai government.

The smuggling, the vice president agreed, was a serious issue which needed to be controlled by both Pakistan and Afghan governments. “But we are very seriously dealing with poppy cultivation in Afghanistan and certain success has been achieved to discourage the people to go without poppy crop.”

He regretted that reconstruction work in Afghanistan was slow as the pledged international support had not been coming during the last many months. “But from January next we are hoping to have sizable donors’ funding as we have completed the details of a number of development projects,” he said.

In reply to a question he said the remaining Pakistani prisoners were expected to be freed gradually as his government was taking keen interest over the issue.

Talking about increased cooperation, he said Pakistan-Afghan Joint Commission would meet in four to six weeks in Kabul to ensure greater trade and economic cooperation between the two countries.

Adviser on Finance Shaukat Aziz told reporters that $18 million had been given to Afghanistan out of $100 million assistance pledged last year. He hoped that by June 30, considerate financial and technical support would further be extended to Afghanistan. The $100 million support, he pointed out, would be offered during the next four years.

He said during the first five months (July-Nov) Pakistan had exported goods worth $166 million to Afghanistan compared to $185 million of 2001-2002.

Similarly, he said, imports from Afghanistan were to the tune of $27 million in the first four months of the current financial year as compared to $55 million of last year.

Pakistan, he said, was also considering to have another weekly PIA and Ariana flight for Kabul and Islamabad.