CAIRO: Arab Oil Ministers were today [March 12] heading for a key meeting in Tripoli … as prospects for an end to the Arab oil embargo against the United States remai­ned uncertain. President Anwar Sadat summoned five Arab Oil Ministers to a meeting yesterday to explain ... why Egypt prefers … to lift or at least lessen the embargo on the US. [An] informed source here said the Egyptian leader has emphasised that the recent diplomatic efforts of American Secre­tary of State Henry Kissinger … have shown enough American goodwill to warrant an end to the embargo. Those present in the meeting were the Oil Ministers of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Bahrain. …

The Egyptian President was also quoted as having told the Oil Ministers that “flexibility” in using the oil weapon had been a main factor in the success of its application as ... political pressure. However, Algeria ... called on Arab oil producing countries to remain united on the eve of the meeting to decide whether or not to lift the oil embargo. … The Algerian Government newspaper ‘El Moudjahid’ devoted a lengthy ... comment … saying “there was little reason to lift squeeze for the time being. …”

Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2024