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Japan opposes gas cartel
AFP
TOKYO
Petroleumworld.com 04 11 07
Japan, a major energy importer, on Tuesday voiced opposition to a gas cartel as the world's top gas producers tried to enhance cooperation.
"If I'm asked whether we had better create one or not, I would say it's not desirable," Japan's trade minister Akira Amari said of proposals for a "gas OPEC."
"It trades in each market under free-trade circumstances. It is different from oil," Amari told reporters without elaborating.
The Gas Exporting Countries Forum, which together holds more than 70 percent of natural gas reserves, agreed Monday to look at enhancing cooperation and to discuss the cartel proposal.
But Algerian Energy Minister Chakib Khelil said he believed the establishment of a gas cartel was not technically viable for at least 10 to 15 years.
The forum, founded in 2001, groups 15 of the world's gas-rich nations, including Russia, Iran, Qatar and Algeria.
Iran in particular supports the idea of creating gas producers' equivalent of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
The gas cartel idea gained momentum last August when Europe's two main natural gas suppliers, Gazprom of Russia and Algeria's Sonatrach, signed a partnership accord.
Japan, the world's second largest economy, is dependent on imports for nearly all of its oil and gas supply.
AFP 10 0447 GMT 04 07
Copyright© 2007 AFP. All Rights Reserved.
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