March 14, 2003	Friday	Muharram 10, 1424

BRUSSELS, March 13: European Union national energy experts meeting on Thursday discussed what actions they might take in the event of an oil supply drop due to a Middle East conflict, the European Commission said in a statement.

The Commission statement gave no details of what action could be taken, but confirmed that the experts discussed the possibility of action at the International Energy Agency, the body that can coordinate the release of countries’ strategic oil stocks.

“The (energy supply experts) group’s meeting, organized by the Commission, was the occasion for an evaluation of the oil market situation and possible changes in the very short term,” the EU executive said.

“In this context, measures that member states might have to take (notably within the framework of the International Energy Agency) in the case of a sudden worsening of the situation were discussed.”—Reuters