New Delhi: Petroleum and natural gas minister Murli Deora will attend a meeting called by the world’s largest oil exporter Saudi Arabia, in Jeddah on June 22 to discuss spiralling crude prices, a senior oil ministry official said on Wednesday.

“The minister will leave early Sunday to attend the meeting at Jeddah,” the official said.

He said petroleum secretary M S Srinivasan, joint secretary (international cooperation) Sunil Jain, and ONGC Videsh Ltd managing director R S Butola will accompany the minister.

The official said Deora would use the platform to exploit international business opportunities for OVL, the overseas investment arm of Oil and Natural Gas Corp Ltd. Saudi Arabia has invited ministers from 26 major petroleum producing and consuming nations, and chiefs of oil majors like Chevron Corp., Exxon Mobil Corp, ConocoPhillips and Total.

“It is a big platform and the minister is likely to hold several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the main meet,” the official said.

Source : DNA