"Gas OPEC" to select secretary general in October

TEHRAN (ISAN)-Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) failed to elect its secretary general postponing the topic to the October meeting.

The 8th ministerial meeting of the GECF was to introduce the secretary general of the forum but left it for October because some member states asked for more time to make their choice.

The meeting also discussed fiscal issues and budget balance and selected the Netherlands as observer member.

Iran's Oil Minister Gholam Hossein Nozari said Tehran's proposals for financial issues and the budget were approved by other members.

The ministers have approved the second six-month budget of the forum and it was decided that members must pay 200,000 dollars as membership fee for the period. Iran has been selected in charge of the budget.

Qatar's Oil Minister Abdullah Al-Attiyah will be running the forum until October meeting that the secretary general is chosen.

Iran's candidate for the GECF secretary general post is Hojatollah Ghanimifard, Iranian National Oil Company Deputy and envoy in Peace Pipeline project.

Russia, Qatar, Algeria, Bolivia, Egypt, Brunei, Equatorial Guinea, Indonesia, Iran, Libya, Malaysia, Nigeria, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela are the member states of the forum.

The first meeting of the forum in 2001 was Iran's initiation and held in Tehran with presence of Russia and Qatar.

... Payvand News - 07/01/09 ... --