Iran is actively canvassing other major gas-exporting countries with a view to inviting them to a Deputy Minister-level meeting in Tehran in the next 2 months, according to consultants Dresdner Kleinwort Benson Research. Those invited would include Qatar, Algeria, Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkmenistan, Russia, and Oman. Together with Iran, these countries account for more than 60% of the world's proven gas reserves.
Consultants for Dresdner Kleinwort Benson have just returned from Tehran. The group told the Iranian News Agency that Tehran's objective is to exchange gas information on such issues as reserves, export investment plans, and market potential.
According to IRNA, there is no intention of attempting to fix gas prices or market share, nor any aim to create a gas organization with a secretary general, similar to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. The aim, rather, is simply to establish common ground for further talks, with the intention of holding one ministerial meeting each year.
Iran is one of the founding members of OPEC, established In 1960 to unify and coordinate policies and safeguard member countries' interests. The country's gas reserves are second only to Russia's.
The National Iranian Oil Co. recently announced that it and nine international oil firms had agreed to undertake a study of Iranian gas reserves with a 25-year projection period (OGJ Online, May 5, 2000).