RIYADH (Thomson Financial) - A blunder by organisers at an OPEC summit in
Riyadh enabled journalists to watch a highly sensitive meeting of the foreign,
finance and oil ministers from the 12 member countries of the cartel.
The gathering, during which the ministers discussed the agenda for a two-day
summit of heads of state starting Saturday, was broadcast on close-circuit
television in the media room for about 30 minutes.
It featured highly sensitive comments by the foreign ministers of Iran and
US-ally Saudi Arabia, who differed sharply over whether to include an expression
of concern over the falling US dollar in the summit's final declaration.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal, who chaired the meeting, said
it was a "sensitive" issue which "will cause the dollar to drop further, thus
complicating the problems we are facing from the dollar's fall."
The remarkable insight into the inner workings of OPEC, which produces 40
pct of world oil, ended when an official emerged to switch off the television.
tf.TFN-Europe_newsdesk@thomson.com
afp/slj
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