January 22, 2008	Tuesday	Muharram 12, 1429

ABU DHABI, Jan 21: US Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman ahead of an Opec meeting next month urged oil-producing states on Monday to pump more crude to ease pressure on prices.

“There needs to be an increased supply in order to keep the markets of the world supplied with oil,” Bodman told reporters on the sidelines of a conference on alternative energy in the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi.

The United States is facing recession fears at home after prices briefly surged to a record $100 a barrel at the start of the year.

—AFP