U.S. To Saudis: Please Pump More Oil!
U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman told Saudi Arabia's oil minister Saturday that OPEC should increase oil output.
Bodman told reporters before his meeting with Saudi Oil Minister Ali Naimi that oil production should be increased in order to meet growing demands.
His visit to Saudi Arabia - which has the world's largest supply of oil - come just before a Feb. 1 meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries meeting in Austria in which the oil cartel could consider increasing oil production if it deems it necessary.
It also comes less than a week after U.S. President George W. Bush raised the same concerns in Saudi Arabia. Mr. Bush said oil prices were very high and "tough on our economy."
The White House said Wednesday that Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah told Mr. Bush that he was worried about the effect of high oil prices on the world economy - but there was no commitment from the king about increasing oil output.
On Tuesday, Naimi said that Saudi Arabia would raise production levels only when the market justifies it, and that the current inventory seemed normal.
OPEC oil accounts for about 40 percent of the world's needs, and OPEC ministers often follow the lead of the Saudis when discussing whether to increase production to take the pressure off rising prices.
Crude oil prices inched up Friday after three days of losses as investors struggled with concerns about the U.S. economy.
Light, sweet crude for February delivery rose 44 cents to settle at $90.57 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange on Friday, but prices alternated frequently between gains and losses.
© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Bodman told reporters before his meeting with Saudi Oil Minister Ali Naimi that oil production should be increased in order to meet growing demands.
His visit to Saudi Arabia - which has the world's largest supply of oil - come just before a Feb. 1 meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries meeting in Austria in which the oil cartel could consider increasing oil production if it deems it necessary.
It also comes less than a week after U.S. President George W. Bush raised the same concerns in Saudi Arabia. Mr. Bush said oil prices were very high and "tough on our economy."
The White House said Wednesday that Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah told Mr. Bush that he was worried about the effect of high oil prices on the world economy - but there was no commitment from the king about increasing oil output.
On Tuesday, Naimi said that Saudi Arabia would raise production levels only when the market justifies it, and that the current inventory seemed normal.
OPEC oil accounts for about 40 percent of the world's needs, and OPEC ministers often follow the lead of the Saudis when discussing whether to increase production to take the pressure off rising prices.
Crude oil prices inched up Friday after three days of losses as investors struggled with concerns about the U.S. economy.
Light, sweet crude for February delivery rose 44 cents to settle at $90.57 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange on Friday, but prices alternated frequently between gains and losses.
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Reuters uk January 18, 2008 : " Iran has some awesome colleagues. Russia and China have become guardians of the Iranian economy. They don%u2019t put religion between business and political advantages. The US is sorely lacking in intelligent Foreign Policy. Hitler%u2019s Foreign Policy has been resurrected to serve the needs of an oil agenda and turn the US into the most disrespected and despised world power ".
China Daily December 25, 2007
Eilat-Ashkelon Pipeline Co. major Israeli oil company needs more crude and this is why the Turkey Israeli pipelines are going to be built%u2026%u2026From there corporate site some info..%u201D.One of the reasons that triggered this project was the assumption that part of the crude oil produced in Russia, the Central Asian Republics or in the Caucasus and loaded at Black Sea ports can be marketed at competitive prices for distribution in Southern Asia and the Far East%u201D.
Posted by pakaal at 08:32 PM : Jan 21, 2008,,,
Financial power is relative, military power is absolute, so I wouldn''t concede anything to the Saudis just yet! However if we screw up and sell them our F-22 Raptors then that could be a different story, but we won''t! :)
Saddam actually lowered the world price of oil by selling it cheaper to Russia, China, France, Germany and South Korea before the invasion. He created an advantage with US & British oil by charging them more for oil than these countries increasing competition. US oil companies then got subsidies from the congress.