Russia says it will send a permanent observer to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, amid mounting concerns among producers about falling oil prices. Meanwhile OPEC ministers have decided to stick with current production levels. The OPEC ministers said Sunday they will put pressure on members producing more than the daily quota of 25 million barrels per day.
俄罗斯说，它将向石油输出国组织派遣一个常驻观察员。与此同时，产油国对石油价格持续下跌越发越表示担忧。欧佩克的部长们决定维持目前的生产水平。
Speaking at the OPEC gathering in Vienna, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin told delegates Moscow wanted to send a permanent representative to the organization to improve cooperation,
在维也纳召开的欧佩克会议上，俄罗斯副总理谢钦对与会代表说，莫斯科希望向石油输出国组织派遣一名常驻代表，以改善双方的合作。
"We have also discussed the issue of having a permanent representative of the Russian federation to the OPEC's secretariat," said Sechin. "We believe that with this initiative a sustainable and prompt exchange of views between the parties concerned could be established. We believe it to be very important in a time of the [global] crisis."
“我们还讨论了向欧佩克秘书处派遣一名俄罗斯联邦常驻代表的议题。我们相信这个计划能在有关方面建立一个可持续和迅速交换意见的渠道。我们相信，这种安排在全球危机时期非常重要。”
Due to the global financial crisis, oil prices have dropped from record highs of close to $150 per barrel last year, to just around $40.
由于全球金融危机，油价从去年每桶接近150美元，骤降到每桶大约40美元。
Following the meeting OPEC oil ministers said they will stick to present output levels set in December. They also said they would pressure some members who have been overproducing.
欧佩克的石油部长在会议结束后表示，他们将维持去年12月设定的产量水平。他们还表示要向超产的一些成员国施加压力。
Earlier, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sechin again suggested cutting production.
"Joint endeavors significantly helped to stabilize the current oil prices at the current level at $40 per barrel," he said. "However, many experts are skeptical, saying that the achieved balance is short term. In particular this view is proved by the inventories in three key markets, West Europe, the U.S. and Japan. More importantly these numbers do not include the stocks in tankers, or infrastructure and sub-surface storage outside these regions. In that context decreasing oil supplies is a compulsory, but justified, measure."
Sechin said Russia would organize an international conference in Moscow this year to discuss the future of oil supplies.
谢钦说，俄罗斯今年将在莫斯科主办一个国际会议，讨论未来的石油供应。
While Sechin's presence at the meeting signaled a new era of cooperation, analysts cautioned that Russia prizes its independence and is unlikely to become a full OPEC member.
虽然谢钦出席这次欧佩克会议标志着合作的新纪元，一些分析人士警告说，俄罗斯重视独立，不大可能成为一个正式欧佩克成员国。
Despite the worldwide downturn, well-known oil analyst and trader Stephen Schork is convinced prices will dramatically rise by 2012. He accused U.S. President Barack Obama of not doing enough to help stabilize prices.
尽管世界经济衰退，著名的石油分析人士和交易商斯蒂芬-朔尔克坚信，油价将于2012年大幅度上升。他指责美国总统奥巴马在帮助稳定油价上做得不够。
"You have a U.S. administration that is openly hostile to the development of domestic oil and gas reserves in the United States," said Stephen Schork. "Therefore, we will face in the same situation as in 2003 when we all came out of the [Internet] dot com recession of 2002 and 2003, and all this demand from all four corners of the world hit. Suddenly we found out we did not have enough supply and oil prices went from $20 to $150. Same situation here. When all demand comes back, prices will go up from $40 to at least $150 and probably $200 this time around."
他说：“美国行政当局公开反对开发美国国内的石油和天然气储备。因此，我们将面临2003年的相同局势，当时我们都从2002年和2003年的互联网衰退中走出来，所有这些需求来自世界各地。突然间，我们发现我们没有足够的石油供应，油价从每桶20美元飙升到每桶150美元。目前的情况也是一样。在所有的需求恢复时，油价将从每桶40美元，窜升到每桶至少150美元，或许达到每桶200美元。”
President Obama says his administration is not against the oils industry, but wants to look to alternative energy sources as part of a plan to make the United States less dependent on foreign oil.
奥巴马总统说，他的政府并不反对石油工业，但希望寻求替代能源，这是使美国减少对外国石油依赖的一部分计划。
Analyst Schork says he does not expect oil prices to increase much this year. He said economic growth in countries such as China and India is unlikely to help OPEC's efforts to stabilize or increase prices.
分析人士朔尔克说，他预计油价今年不会回升很大。他说，诸如中国和印度等国家的经济增长，不太可能会有助于欧佩克稳定和上调油价。
"No they cannot," he said. "People looked at growth and people got excited because I think the economic growth from China came out at eight percent, which was thought to be a very high number. But we are talking about a country of [more than] a billion people. Same situation with India. You need growth at 10, 11 or 12 percent to keep those people employed, to keep those factories open."
That view is shared by OPEC, which has warned the global economic meltdown will depress oil consumption by at least one percent, this year.
欧佩克也同意朔尔克的看法。欧佩克警告说，全球经济的崩溃将导致今年石油消费至少减少1%。 |