Nigeria Pushes for OPEC Sec-Gen as Rivals Keep Low Profile
- Angola backs fellow African member to head organization
- Nigeria, Indonesia have only credible candidates, says U.A.E.
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Nigeria accelerated the campaign for its candidate to become the next secretary-general of OPEC, receiving the backing of Angola as rival nominees kept a low profile.
Mohammed Barkindo, who was acting head of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries in 2006 and previously ran the Nigerian National Petroleum Corp., met in Vienna this week with ministers from Algeria, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Venezuela and Saudi Arabia to garner support for his candidacy, according to a person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because the talks were private. The group plans to replace current Secretary-General Abdalla El-Badri when it meets Thursday.