Sudan invited to join OPEC

May 24, 2006 (KHARTOUM) — President Omer al-Bashir received a written message from Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo inviting Sudan to join the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

Obasanjo addressed this invitation in capacity of his country as the chairman of OPEC for the current session.

Receiving the Nigerian Minister of Energy and Envoy of President Obasanjo Wednesday, al-Bashir expressed appreciation to the Nigerian President and promised to study the invitation and respond to it.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian envoy said his meeting with President Al-Bashir tackled importance of cooperation among the oil producers in the OPEC organization, adding that they intended to expand this cooperation to include Sudan and they attempted to create closer relations between Sudan and OPEC.

Sudan currently produces some 500,000 barrels of crude oil a day, mainly from fields in the south with output projected to rise by 150,000 barrels per day this year.

(ST)