Three named as candidates for OPEC top post<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Iran, Venezuela and Nigeria are likely to be in
\ntough competition to win the post of the secretary general of the
\nOrganization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) during its
\nthree-day ministerial meeting in Denpasar, Bali, which begins
\ntoday.<\/p>\n
Subroto, a former OPEC secretary general, said in Denpasar on
\nSaturday that Hossein Kazembur-Ardebili, currently the Iranian
\nambassador to Japan, Alirio Parra, a former Venezuelan oil
\nminister, and Nigeria's Rilwanu Lukman, a former president of
\nOPEC, have been formally picked as the main candidates to fill
\nthe vacant post.<\/p>\n
President Soeharto is expected to open the ministerial meeting
\nat the Pertamina Cottages in Denpasar today.<\/p>\n
\"All three candidates have the capacity to take the job,\"
\nSubroto said. Subroto formally ended his second, three-year term,
\nat OPEC's June meeting.<\/p>\n
The organization, which groups Algeria, Gabon, Indonesia,
\nIran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the
\nUnites Arab Emirates and Venezuela, failed to appoint a new
\nsecretary general during the June meeting because Iran opposed
\nthe appointment of Venezuela's Parra in favor of its own
\ncandidate.<\/p>\n
Subroto refused to comment on Indonesia's position towards the
\nthree candidates or to speculate the result of the election,
\nwhich will be based on a consensus.<\/p>\n
Production<\/p>\n
Besides appointing the new secretary general, OPEC will also
\nreview its current production ceiling during the Bali meeting.<\/p>\n
The United Arab Emirates' acting oil minister Ahmed al-Badi
\nsaid on Saturday that OPEC would likely roll over the production
\nceiling at their talks in Bali.<\/p>\n
He estimated that a decision by OPEC to extend its current
\noutput ceiling of 24.52 million barrels per day would push up oil
\nprices and this could help it reach a target price of US$21 a
\nbarrel.<\/p>\n
Ahmed al-Badi said, \"The contacts and consultations that have
\ntaken place among some OPEC members have shown a strong tendency
\nto extend the present ceiling,\" the AFP news agency reported.<\/p>\n
\"Given the strong demand in the first quarter, this will boost
\noil prices. Some estimates have pointed to an increase of $2 per
\nbarrel. But I would like to note here that any increase will be
\nin the direction towards the targeted price of $21 a barrel.\"<\/p>\n
OPEC set the $21 reference price in 1990 but prices have
\nremained several dollars below that level except after the Iraqi
\ninvasion of Kuwait in August 1990, when prices shot up to nearly
\n$40. They averaged at $18.44 in 1992 and $16.33 in 1993 and are
\nexpected to be lower in 1994.(hen)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/three-named-as-candidates-for-opec-top-post-1447893297",
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