May 02, 2007	Wednesday	Rabi-us-Sani 14, 1428

RIYADH, May 1: The 2nd Asian Ministerial Energy Roundtable gets underway here on Wednesday with emphasis on supply security for consumers and demand security for producers. The general theme of the meeting is ‘promoting prosperity through energy interdependence and cooperation’.

Seventeen countries including Pakistan are attending this roundtable. A five-member Pakistani contingent headed by Petroleum Minister Amanullah Khan Jadoon is in Riyadh.

The objective of this roundtable is to enhance cooperation and integration between the oil producers in West Asia and major Asian consumers in South and East Asia include China, India, Japan, Iran, Iraq, South Korea, the six GCC Countries, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and Brunei.

The Secretary General of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) Abdullah Salem El-Badri, the Executive Director of International Energy Agency (IEA) Claude Mandil are also taking part in the deliberations.

The Riyadh based International Energy Forum (IEF) has coordinated the efforts to hold the ministerial moot.

Two working sessions would be held today, the first session will focus on supplies and demands and horizons of oil trading in East and West Asia while the second session will centre on investment issues in oil exploration, refining and marketing and the role of the national and international companies in this regard.

Pakistani Petroleum Minister Amanullah Khan Jadoon is scheduled to make his presentation in the second session.

The conference was expected to focus on energy security from international and Asian perspectives, the role of strategic reserves, surplus energy, transparency and competence in energy consumption. Japanese is co-hosting this meeting.