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Expert: Al Qaida could drive
gas prices to $3 per gallon
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SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Monday, July 12, 2004
WASHINGTON Ñ Al Qaida could drive the price of gas to $3 dollars a
gallon in the United States.
A leading U.S. energy analyst, Paul Michael Wihbey, told a Hudson
Institute conference on Saudi Arabia that Al Qaida has already driven the
price of oil to beyond $40 a barrel. Wihbey, president of Global Water and
Energy Strategy Team, said Al Qaida could seek to drive this price to $60 a
barrel by attacking Saudi oil infrastructure.
Al Qaida conducts major strike on oil targets near Gulf
Saudis move to reassure foreign oil firms
U.S. threatens to abandon Saudis and their oil
Wihbey said Al Qaida has followed the communist example to erode the
authority of the Saudi royal family, Middle East Newsline reported. He said Al Qaida has already shattered
the image of the kingdom as a bedrock of stability and forced the departure
of skilled foreigners in the energy sector.
"The possibility exists that Al Qaida, with its intimate knowledge of
the market, could spike prices up to as high as $60 a barrel," Wihbey told
the conference on July 9. "This is a significant number, because it means $3
a gallon."
Copyright © 2004 East West
Services, Inc.
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