AFP, Moscow
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) will not recognize the United States as a representative of Iraq on oil-related matters, OPEC President Abdallah al-Attiyah said here Wednesday.
OPEC "will not speak with the United States as a representative of Iraq in the area of oil," Attiyah told a Russian news agency.
"We will wait for the time when we can speak with the national government of Iraq.
"OPEC is not a political organization but a professional organization of oil exporters," he said.
US-led forces overthrew the government of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein on April 9 and are currently occupying the country, which controls the world's second largest oil reserves.
Attiyah, who is also Qatar's oil minister and who is on a visit here, said the situation in Iraq would be discussed at the next OPEC ministerial meeting in the Qatari capital Doha June 11.
Iraq for the past decade has remained an official OPEC member but has exported its oil under United Nations auspices as part of a sanctions regime imposed following its 1990 invasion of Kuwait.
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) will not recognize the United States as a representative of Iraq on oil-related matters, OPEC President Abdallah al-Attiyah said here Wednesday.
OPEC "will not speak with the United States as a representative of Iraq in the area of oil," Attiyah told a Russian news agency.
"We will wait for the time when we can speak with the national government of Iraq.
"OPEC is not a political organization but a professional organization of oil exporters," he said.
US-led forces overthrew the government of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein on April 9 and are currently occupying the country, which controls the world's second largest oil reserves.
Attiyah, who is also Qatar's oil minister and who is on a visit here, said the situation in Iraq would be discussed at the next OPEC ministerial meeting in the Qatari capital Doha June 11.
Iraq for the past decade has remained an official OPEC member but has exported its oil under United Nations auspices as part of a sanctions regime imposed following its 1990 invasion of Kuwait.
