Indonesian president pleads for end to oil price blame game

0 Comments | AFP, July, 2008

JAKARTA (AFP) — Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono issued an impassioned plea on Wednesday for oil powers and consumer nations to stop the blame game over oil prices and join forces to calm the raging market.

Faced with opinion polls showing rising domestic fuel costs are hurting his chances for re-election next year, the leader of Asia's only OPEC member said either oil production must increase or consumption must fall.

"This is time for producer countries, not only OPEC and Saudi Arabia but also Russia and Venezuela, to sit together with consumer nations, with the US, China, India, and not to blame each other," Yudhoyono said in a speech carried on ElShinta radio.

"They need to make calculations about to what extent they can step up their...