USA exerts pressure on OPEC

The USA has demanded from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to refrain from cutting the quotas for the production and export deliveries of crude oil at least until the autumn of this year.

The OPEC General Secretariat in Vienna has reported this information with reference to the letter received by the management of the international oil cartel from the US Energy Department.

As the US Energy Department believes, the reduction of oil production by the OPEC member states will result in a new shortage of fuel and lubricants during the heating season.

In the estimate of the Energy Information Agency of the US Energy Department, the OPEC member states produced daily 27.045 barrels of crude oil in May 2003 and 26,595 barrels from early June.

The letter from the US Energy Department to the management of the international oil cartel has been sent on the eve of the 125th extraordinary conference of the OPEC due to take place in Doha on June 11.