Ahmadinejad Not to Attend OPEC Meeting

An Iranian Oil Ministry official said today in Tehran that President Ahmadinejad would not attend the upcoming meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Ahmadinejad, who has appointed himself the acting minister of oil, would have chaired the 8 June OPEC meeting. This year, Iran holds the rotating presidency of the organization.

“In a face-to-face meeting with the president, Ahmadinejad announced that he would not attend the next OPEC meeting,” Oil Ministry official Shojaoddin Bazargani told reporters [IRNA, 23 May].