OAPEC was established in Beirut on Jan. 9, 1968, with Libya and Saudi Arabia as its co-founders.

OAPEC is aimed to enhance and strengthen the co-operation between member states in the petroleum industry, to safeguard the individual and collective interests of members in oil-related fields, to coordinate the activities of members in order to realize a just and reasonable supply quota to the oil consumer market, and to create a favorable environment for the capital and technical transfers to the oil industry.

Its activities mainly include: to coordinate the oil-economic policies of the members, to harmonize to a certain degree the legal mechanisms binding to members in their activities, to exchange technology and information, to provide the citizens of member states with training and employment opportunities, and to utilize the recourses and potentials of member states to participate in projects in the oil industry.

It had 11 member states in 1998: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, the UAE. Among them, Tunisia's membership has been suspended since 1986 at its own request.

The Secretary General is Abdul Aziz Al-Turki (Libyan).

The headquarters is located in Kuwait City. After the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq on August 2, 1990, the organization moved its workplace to Cairo and Jeddah. On December 8, the organization established temporary headquarters in Cairo. On December 10, OAPEC returned to its permanent headquarters in Kuwait.

Publications are: Secretary-General's Annual Report (Arabic, English), Oil and Arab Cooperation (quarterly, Arabic with English index and catalogue), OAPEC Monthly Bulletin, (Arabic, English), Energy Resources Monitor (Arabic), PAPEC Annual Statistical Report (Arabic, English).

Organization: 1. Ministerial Council. It forms the supreme authority of the Organization and consists of the ministers of petroleum of the member states on other competent officials. It meets twice yearly, and chairmanship is on rotation basis. It is responsible for drawing up general policy and laying down its governing rules and directing its activities. 2. Executive Bureau. It comprises one vice minister from each member state and convenes at least three times a year. The chairmanship is by rotation. It is in charge of directing the activities of the Organization, reviewing the draft budget, considering matters relating to the Organization's agreements and drafting the agenda and itineraries of the Organization's activities. 3. General-Secretariat. It is elected every three years and is in charge of daily affairs in accordance with the policies drawn up by the Council and the Executive Bureau. There are several departments under it dealing with economic, technical, oil drilling and producing, energy, information, public administration and finance affairs. 4. Judicial Tribunal. It comprises 1 president and 4vice-presidents and 5 judges. Its task is to settle disputes arising between members and also between member states and other oil companies. The Tribunal also provides consultations and has judicial authority. Its judicial decision is finding on member states.

China has not established relations with OAPEC.

Table: Oil Output of Member States in 1998 and 1999 (thousand barrels per day)

1998 1999 2000

Algeria 81.6 77.5 80

Egypt 82.5 78 68

Iraq 215.1 260 266.3

Kuwait 208.8 188.5 180.3

Libya 137.8 131.5 136.8

Qatar 66 65.5 70.3

Saudi Arabia 839.3 771 809.6

Syria 60 56 54

Tunis 8 8 -

United Arab Emirates 227.3 209 228.9

Bahrain 97.9 - -

(Source: MEED, issue on January 14, 2001)