WASHINGTON, April 2: US President George Bush, who campaigned in 2000 on a promise that he would persuade Opec to keep oil supplies plentiful, faced growing criticism from Democrats on Thursday for not doing enough to stem rising domestic petrol prices and Opec production cuts.

The administration faces pressure from both political parties to take action now that American motorists are paying record retail petrol prices averaging 1.76 dollars per gallon.

"I know that he (Bush) has had conversations with ... most of the leaders of Opec," US Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham told a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing. He did not say if any talks had occurred after the Opec meeting on Wednesday.

Abraham declined to respond to Massachusetts Democrat Edward Markey's repeated question on whether the president had specifically spoken with leaders of Saudi Arabia, the cartel's largest member, which led a push to cut Opec production by 1 million barrels per day starting in April. The cut had been agreed upon earlier in the year and was ratified at Wednesday's meeting.

Democrats have seized on Bush's 2000 campaign promise that if elected president, he would "jawbone" members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries by telephoning them and saying "we expect you to open your spigots."

During the past three years, the administration adopted a policy it called "quiet diplomacy" and refused to discuss its contacts with Opec nations. But in the run-up to Wednesday's Opec meeting, the White House acknowledged that it was pressuring Opec to delay a production cut.

Its request was supported by Opec members Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates but opposed by Saudi Arabia.

"The administration has been stressing to big oil producers that prices are excessive," Abraham told the panel. US crude oil prices, which soared to around $38 a barrel in mid-March, were trading at the still-high rate of $35.50 per barrel on Thursday.

Abraham also said the administration was "evaluating what we might" do about oil prices.

The role of Saudi Arabia has angered some lawmakers.

In the Senate, the No 2 Democrat, Harry Reid of Nevada, blamed Saudi Arabia for restricting world supplies that could eventually drive crude oil prices to 40 dollars a barrel.

"We have been a much better friend to Saudi Arabia than they have been to us. They were a leader yesterday of this cabal to cut production," Mr Reid said.-Reuters