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Wednesday, 07 January, 2009, 22:40 GMT | more >>

Ecuador knocks on Opec's door



By Upstream staff 

Opec secretary-general Abdullah al-Badri said today that he expected Ecuador to join the producers' group shortly, following on from Quito's official request to become a member.

"We received an official letter from Ecuador last week. I am expecting Ecuador will be a member of Opec in the near future," Badri said in an interview with Agence France-Presse at the organisation's headquarters in Vienna.

Ultimately however, "it is a decision of the conference" of member states, which will take place in September in the Austrian capital, he added.

Asked whether he thought the group would again welcome Ecuador, which was a member of the group from 1973 to 1992, into its ranks, Badri said: "I hope so."

Sudan has also been considered for membership but has not yet made a formal request to join the organisation, Badri added.

Meanwhile, Ecuador is still considering whether to rejoin Opec, acting Energy Minister Jorge Alban told Reuters.

"The process is not an issue, but we are still analyzing the costs and benefits of rejoining and the right timing," Alban said.

He added that the country could rejoin after honouring unpaid dues of around $4 million.

Former energy minister Alberto Acosta, who quit last week to run for the membership of an assembly to rewrite the constitution, had said he hoped the country would rejoin the group and had the backing of Opec founding member Venezuela for the move.

Acosta's replacement is expected to be named later this week.


Tuesday, 19 June, 2007, 17:28 GMT  | last updated: Tuesday, 19 June, 2007, 18:10 GMT

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