国际英语新闻：OPEC members divided over oil output cut

VIENNA, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) were divided over oil output cut on Thursday, one day ahead of an OPEC "extraordinary meeting," to be held in Vienna to address oil price on Friday.

    Iran, Libya and Venezuela urged the 13-member OPEC to take quick action to cut the output so as to avoid a steep slide in oil prices.

Iran's Oil Minister Gholam Hossein Nozari attends the opening ceremony of the Jeddah Energy Meeting June 22, 2008.

Speaking to the press, Iranian Oil Minister Gholam Hossein Nozari said a cut of "two million (barrels per day) will stabilize" the market.

    Libya made the similar call for a reduction of two million barrels per day, while Venezuela said there should be a cut of at least one million barrels.

    Libya's Oil Minister Shukri Ghanem said "a huge cut" of "two million barrels" was required to create a balance between supply and demand.

    Venezuelan Oil Minister Rafael D. Ramirez said the OPEC members "have to take some action now, now," adding that Friday's meeting will reach "consensus to take a very, very, very fast action."

    The price of New York oil dived on Thursday to a new 16-month low in choppy trade.

    New York's main contract, light sweet crude for December delivery, sank as low as 65.90 U.S. dollars per barrel, which was last seen on June 13, 2007.

    Just three months ago, the oil price hit record high of 147.27 U.S. dollars per barrel on July 11, 2008.

    However, Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Nuaimi rejected the call of output cut on Thursday when he arrived in Vienna for the one-day meeting.

    "Who said anything about a cut?" Nuaimi questioned the reporters.

    Speaking to the press on Thursday, OPEC's president Chekib Khelil, who is also Energy Minister of Algeria, said "we are going to reduce" oil output.

    However, Khelil said he did not know how big a cut would be made.

    OPEC produces 40 percent of the world's oil and its official output quota stands at 28.8 million barrels per day.