VOL. XLIV

No 47

19-November-2001

Press Briefing By Saudi Oil Minister

The following is thequestion-and-answer text of a press briefing given to a number ofcorrespondents, including Ian Seymour and Walid Khadduri of MEES,by Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi in Vienna on 15 November following the OPECministerial meeting.

Q: How are we to interpret this step on the part of OPEC? Isit a challenge to non-OPEC? Is it a first step in a price war? And if it is nota price war, then is it a contest for...