ABU DHABI Ñ Natural gas exporters were unsuccessful at a conference in efforts to agree on an
organizational structure.
The 12 countries that participate in the Gas Exporting Countries Forum,
with headquarters in Qatar, failed to decide on a leadership.
In a June
30 meeting in the Qatari capital of Doha, the gas producers agreed to continue
to explore cooperation but were unable to establish a decision-making mechanism.
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Algeria and Russia have sought to organize gas producers to form a
cartel similar to OPEC. But industry sources said Egypt and Nigeria, both
allies of the United States, opposed efforts to force gas producers to agree
to output quotas in an effort to increase global prices.
At the one-day meeting in Doha, Qatari Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah
Bin Hamad Al Attiyah was appointed president of the forum. Abdullah, citing
assessments of a rising consumption, urged gas producing states to increase
cooperation during the continuing global economic crisis.
