Djamel Eddine Khene is Sonatrach's new chair

Djamel Eddine Khene was named chairman of Sonatrach, Algeria's state-run oil company, in the first major decision taken by the newly appointed Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia.

May 8, 2003

By an OGJ correspondent

NICOSIA, May 8 -- Djamel Eddine Khene was named chairman of Sonatrach, Algeria's state-run oil company, in the first major decision by the newly appointed Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia.

Khene, who formerly served as Sonatrach vice-president for exploration and production, takes over from as chairman from Oil Minister Chakib Khelil, who served as Sonatrach interim chairman since February 2001. Khelil remains oil minister, while Sonatrach veteran Mohamed Raffa Babaghayou will assume Khene's E&P slot.

Algeria is on track to boost oil production to 1.5 million b/d by 2005, helped by Ourhoud field and by anticipated new exploration contracts to international oil companies, Khene told the government-backed newspaper El Moudjahid.