OPEC Member States
London – The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has yet to decide on requirements for selecting a new secretary general to replace Abdalla El-Badri, whose extended term ends this year, according to three people familiar with OPEC policy.
The organization’s board of governors ended a meeting today in Vienna without agreeing on the selection criteria, the people said, asking not to be identified because discussions among the 12 member nations are private.
El-Badri, a former Libyan oil minister, served two three-year terms as secretary general before being given a one-year extension last December. He may be asked to remain for another 12 months, the people said. A decision will be taken when the group’s ministers meet next, on Dec. 4 in Vienna.
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries comprises Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela. The two biggest producers, Saudi Arabia and Iraq, have both submitted candidates for secretary general, as has Iran.
