Arab Energy Conference opens in Damascus
Regional, Economics, 5/11/1998

The sixth Arab Energy Conference opened on Sunday in Damascus. In an inaugural speech Syria's premier, acting on behalf of President Hafez al-Assad, said that collective Arab efforts should be made to set up industries and promote investments conducive to diversifying sources of national income and materializing integration between oil and gas industries and between petrochemical and convertible industries with a view to finding new sources of alternative energy.

He underlined the importance of setting up new power stations and electricity grids and exchanging energy and expertise among Arab states, noting Syria's rich experience in establishing grids linking the country with neighboring Arab countries and in oil exploration and marketing.

Representing the Arab League's secretary-general, the A.L.'s assistant secretary-general for economic affairs, Abdul Rahman al-Sheibani, stressed that the sixth Arab energy conference is an important step aimed at achieving cooperation and integration in the field of energy and its sources, referring to international and regional development and changes, which require reactivating the role of the Arab Energy Conference.

In the conference's first session, representatives of participating Arab delegations spoke about the status of the international oil markets, pointing out the decrease of world oil prices during the last quarter of 1997. They stressed that oil-producing countries have to shoulder the responsibility of stabilizing the oil market.

During its Sunday night session, the sixth Arab Energy Conference featured a paper submitted by the director of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, Robert Mabro. The paper dealt with the international developments in the energy markets and their impact of the Arab countries. He reviewed the main results and Arab policies concerning the oil, economic variety and development as well as the international relations in this respect.

Jordanian Oil Minister Muhammad Saleh Hurani noted a sharp increase in oil production in Jordan from 4.6 million tons in 1980 to 8.30 million in 1996.

The conference, which will continue deliberations until Wednesday, is organized by the Arab League, the Arab Fund for Economic Development, the Arab Organization for Industry and Metals, and the Organization of Arab Oil Exporting Countries (OAPEC).

The prior Arab energy conference was held in Cairo four years earlier.

The conferees in Damascus will tackle some 17 studies relating to oil refining, natural gas processing, petrochemical industries in the Arab states, renewable industries in the Arab states electricity consumption guidance, energy trade and sources and Arab cooperation in the field of gas and oil.

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