Chavez "concerned" by any OPEC output hike: Iran TV

www.iranmania.com Saturday, January 11, 2003 - 2002 IranMania.com

TEHRAN, Jan 10 (AFP) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is "concerned" about apparent plans by OPEC nations and other oil producers to raise crude output, Iranian television reported Friday.

Chavez, in a telephone call to President Mohammad Khatami, said he was "concerned by an increase in production by OPEC and by certain (other) producing countries," the report said.

There was no indication of when the telephone call was made, or exactly what Chavez's concerns were.

Both Venezuela and Iran are members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

For his part, Khatami was quoted as insisting on the need for "cooperation among OPEC countries to ameliorate the sistuation in the oil market."

He added that "producers, whether OPEC members or not, should cooperate" and that "any disagreement would be prejudicial" to them.

OPEC members are to hold an extraordinary meeting in Vienna on Sunday and are widely expected to raise output by between one and two million barrels per day.

The markets have been squeezed in recent weeks by a strike in Venezuela and by fears of a war on Iraq.