AUSTRIA: OPEC - ORGANISATION OF PETROLEUM EXPORTING COUNTRIES - AGREES TO FREEZE OIL PRICES FOR THREE MONTHS.

Record ID: 640611

  • Title: AUSTRIA: OPEC - ORGANISATION OF PETROLEUM EXPORTING COUNTRIES - AGREES TO FREEZE OIL PRICES FOR THREE MONTHS.
  • Date: 18th March 1974
  • Summary: 1. CU 'OPEC' sign. 0.02 2. SV INT. Press and television crews wait. (2 shots) 0.14 3. SV Dr. Jamshid Amouzegar, Iranian Finance Minister making statement. 0.35 4. GV INT. Conference room. 0.43 5. SV Delegates talk together. (2 shots) 0.56 6. SV Sheikh Yamani walks in and takes seat. 1.07 7. SV Press around conference table. 1.10 8. SV Yamani working on his notes PAN TO other delegates. 1.25 "There will be no increase and no decrease in prices for another three months. This is to show the goodwill of the organisation to the world. We hope that the Western countries will try to contain their galloping inflation. Otherwise I think ...(indistinct)....we have to revise the prices." Initials VS.0.17 VS. 0.33 This film includes a statement by Dr. Jamshid Amouzegar. The following is a transcript:- Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 2nd April 1974 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: VIENNA, AUSTRIA
  • Country: Austria
  • Reuters ID: LVABXRDQCUHW6BJRX5MHWPCY8UVK
  • Story Text: Five months of uncertainty for the world's oil consuming states was ended yesterday (17 March) in Vienna, when OPEC - the organisation of major oil producing nations - decided to freeze oil prices for a three-month period.

    The announcement by Dr. Jamshid Amouzegar, Iran's Finance Minister and Chairman of the OPEC conference, pegged prices at GBP 5.70 (11.65 U.S. dollars) per barrel - nearly four times the price charged before the Arab-Israeli war in October.

    The price freeze represented a compromise between Saudi Arabia, which had been pressing for a reduction, and Iran, which had been pressing for a higher price Dr. Amouzegar promised there would be no more increases to compare with the 75 and 130 per cent price jumps after the October war. But he said the cost of oil would in future keep pace with inflation.

    During the third day of the conference on Monday (18 March), seven major Arab oil-producing nations agreed to lift their embargo on oil supplies to the United States. The major dissenter was Libya. The Libyan oil minister, Ezzedin Mabrouk, announced: "We will definitely not lift the embargo on the United States and we will not increase our production."
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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