OPEC officials to visit RP

OPEC officials to visit RP

MANILA: Senior officials of the Organization of Petroleum
Exporting Countries (OPEC) will visit the Philippines next month
to discuss the impact of high oil prices and OPEC policies, the
Energy Department said on Friday.

OPEC secretary-general Maizar Rahman will lead the group that
will arrive in early December "to update the Filipino public on
OPEC's current policies and their impact on net energy importing
countries like the Philippines," a department statement said.

Energy Secretary Vincent Perez said the Philippines had
lobbied intensely for six months for the visit and expressed
gratitude the OPEC officials would be coming even though the
country counts for only 0.1 percent of world oil demand.

Rahman will address a forum of Philippine business people
during his visit, the department said, adding that it hoped that
the coming of the OPEC officials would strengthen the country's
diplomatic ties to oil exporting countries. -- AFP