Gulf petroleum ministers to discuss building united network for gas supplies

The petroleum ministers in the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council will discuss in their meeting next month in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia a project to build a united network for natural gas supply in an attempt to revive the ambitious project which is considered to be among the biggest joint projects in the area.

Official sources said the petroleum ministers in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries will examine the results of feasibility studies concerning the project, which was originally proposed several years ago and whose cost may exceed $2 billion.

The sources said the project will be one of the most prominent topics that will be tackled by the ministers in their meeting on June 16.

The project includes building a network of pipelines to distribute natural gas to the G.C.C.'s member countries -- Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman -- from the Qatari North gas field, which is the biggest natural gas field in the world with reserves exceeding 10 trillion cubic meters.