United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says Saudi Arabia will
increase its oil production next month by 200,000 barrels a day.
Mr. Ban says he learned of the Saudi plan to raise oil output again from Saudi Oil Minister Ali Al-Naimi on Sunday.
Saudi
Arabia already increased its oil production by 300,000 barrels a day
this month, compared to May, to meet growing demand from customers. The
additional increase would raise total Saudi production to
nine-point-seven million barrels a day.
Mr. Ban was speaking
after a visit to the Saudi city of Jeddah, where he met Saturday with
Saudi King Abdullah. The U.N. chief says they discussed global concerns
about the rising price of oil and its impact on the cost of food.
Mr. Ban says the king acknowledged that oil prices are "abnormally high" and promised to do what he can to lower them.
Saudi
Arabia is concerned that sustained high oil prices will dampen the
world's appetite for oil, hurting the kingdom's economy in the long run.
Saudi
Arabia is hosting a meeting of major oil producing and consuming
nations on June 22 to discuss ways of dealing with rising oil prices.
Crude prices rose above $139 a barrel for the first time earlier this
month.
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