CAIRO, May 11 (News Agencies) - Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak urged Arab oil ministers meeting in Cairo Saturday to ensure world "consumer confidence" and economic stability by not using oil as a political weapon, news agencies reported.

"Your conference is an occasion to proclaim before the world that we respect the consumer and we want to satisfy his needs and the stability of his economy, and that we do not resort to pressure but we resort to dialogue," Mubarak said in a statement read by Egyptian Prime Minister Atef Ebeid, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

"Our choice should be clear and definitive. We should work to strengthen our presence on the market and strengthen the relation with the consumer and win his confidence," the statement said.

The Arabs should not replace "cooperation with pressure and a policy that makes temporary gains at the expense of consumer confidence," he added in the keynote statement at the opening of the four-day conference.

Mubarak was due to host talks on the Middle East crisis later Saturday in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Saudi Arabia's de facto leader, Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdel Aziz.

Arab oil ministers and experts are meeting in Cairo ahead of a session about production quotas in Vienna on June 26 by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, which includes seven of the Arab oil producers meeting here.

The Arab members of OPEC are Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Libya, Algeria, and Qatar. Non-OPEC members also present here are Egypt, Syria and Bahrain.

The conference follows a decision by Iraq to halt oil exports for one month in protest over Israel's onslaught in the West Bank, a move that was not followed by other producers.

And while Iraq has resumed petroleum exports, the "oil weapon" could return to the fore if the Israeli-Arab conflict develops into a full-fledged war, said oil expert, Naji Abi Aad, from the Mediterranean Energy Observatory.

"Iraq went it alone using the oil weapon last time, and the impact of his decision was very limited. He is not likely to resort to it again unless there is a consensus among Arab producers," said Aad, who is attending the conference.

Meanwhile, Syrian newspaper Tishrin daily, said that the Arab mini-summit which will be  held in Egypt must take into account that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon refuses to make peace with his neighbors.

"The expected summit will have very efficient results if takes into account the developments after the Zionist offensive (against the Palestinians) and Sharon's rejection of the peace option chosen by the Arabs and agreed upon under international law," said a commentary in the paper.

"It is impossible for the Arabs to count on peace while the Sharon government rejects the most elementary principles (of peace), and continues to defy international resolutions," on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it said.  
 

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