Official: Major gas exporters to meet in Doha this week

TEHRAN, Nov.10 (Chinese media) -- Iran, Qatar and Russia,

three major gas exporters, will hold a new round of talks on gas cooperation

later this week in the Qatari capital of Doha, Iranian Press TV reported on

Monday.

"The three countries are going to discuss (in Doha)

the creation of a Supreme Technical Committee," the report quoted

RezaKasaeizadeh, managing director of National Iranian Gas Export Company, as

saying.

The Iranian delegation is scheduled to participate in

the talks on Wednesday, Kasaeizadeh added.

In October, the senior energy officials of Iran,

Russia and Qatar held their first tripartite meeting for gas cooperation in

Tehran.

According to IRNA news agency, the three counties

discussed in their first meeting the ways to expand the gas fields, to carry out

strategic cooperation among three countries in regional and international gas

markets and "assist each other in the target markets in light of geopolitical

and geographical considerations."

The three countries account for 56 percent of world's

natural gas reserves with Russia 26 percent, Iran 16 percent and Qatar 14

percent. Both Russia and Qatar are major gas exporters, but Iran is a net

importer despite its huge reserves.

Iran wants to turn into a major player in the gas

market and proposes to develop a formal organization akin to the Organization of

the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

However, European countries and the United States

warned against such a gas export body, saying it could pose a danger to global

energy security and create room for price manipulation.