1.
GV Flags
0.05

2.
SV Delegates enter building
0.10

3.
GV INT Delegates seated
0.13

4.
SV Algerian Foreign Minister Bouteflika arriving
0.21

5.
CU Cameraman
0.22

6.
SCU President of meeting seated
0.26

7.
SCU Sheikh Yamani of Saudi Arabia Oil Minister seated
0.29

8.
CU Delegates from Venezuela, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates seated (3 shots)
0.42

9.
CU Delegates from Iraq, Libya and Indonesia seated (3 shots)
0.50

10.
CU Delegates from Kuwait Gabon and Iran (3 shots)
0.59

11.
CU Delegates from Algeria, Ecuador and Nigeria (3 shots)
1.09

12.
GV Delegates seated
1.12



Initials BB/2130 FC/MR/BB/0005



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: Algerian Foreign Minister Abdelaziz Bouteflika in a keynote statement at the OPEC ministerial meeting sharply accused the United States of launching a full-scale crusade against the oil exporting nations with threats of armed aggression.

Mr. Bouteflika told the conference of the member nations of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries on Sunday (2 March) that the oil nations, if necessary, should stop accepting dollars for payment.

He added that the oil exporting countries suffered a drop in oil revenues partly because of inflation and the current weakness of the dollar.

The OPEC oil, finance and foreign ministers have spent long hours over the past two days to complete the draft of a document which their Heads of State will issue before oil producers and consumers meet for a long-awaited conference. It sets out OPEC's objectives in relation to the rest of the world.

The document was to be submitted to their Heads of State for approval when they met in their first-ever summit opening on Tuesday (4 March).