OPEC Bulletin January 2009OPEC Bulletin February 2009OPEC ...

1996 1997
Ms Razzouqi’s comments were echoed by Iran’s
Governor for OPEC, Seyed Mohammad Ali Khatibi
Tabatabai, who said he had actually met Al Attiyah for the
first time before he was Minister and always found him
to be such an active, positive and knowledgeable man.
“He participated in all meetings actively and he always
generously announced his government’s readiness to host
international gatherings and conferences,” he said.
Tabatabai stressed that it was noteworthy that during
Al Attiyah’s tenure of office many conferences and
meetings were held in Qatar. The fact that the premier
World Petroleum Congress (WPC) was being held in the
Middle East region for the very first time was the result
of his efforts. Doha will host the 20th WPC in December.
“He is an easygoing man and it is so easy and enjoyable
to interact with him. I, myself, always felt so happy
and satisfied after talking with him,” said Tabatabai.
“His sincere and friendly behaviour endeared him
among his colleagues in the Conference. I have got a lot
of good memories.
“For example, I can tell you that he is a little bit familiar
with the Persian language. As soon as he met the Iranian
delegation, he uttered a few Persian sentences. He was
so fond of the city of Shiraz in Iran. He always admired
the beauty and the weather in Shiraz,” Tabatabai told the
Bulletin.
Al Attiyah has the honour of being the second-longest
serving Oil and Energy Minister in OPEC’s 50 years of
existence. His 18 years fall a little short of the 24 years
achieved by Ahmed Zaki Yamani, who was Saudi Arabia’s
Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources from April
1962 to October 1986.
1998
Top left: Al Attiyah with Gholamreza Aghazadeh, Iranian Minister of Petroleum (c), and
Abdalla Salem El-Badri (r), then Secretary of the People’s Committee of Oil, SP Libyan AJ.
Top right: Al Attiyah was President of the OPEC Conference on four separate occasions —
in 1993, 1997, 1999 and 2003.
Above: ... pictured with Abdalla Salem El-Badri (l), Ali I Naimi (r), Minister of Petroleum
and Mineral Resources of Saudi Arabia, and Obaid bin Saif Al-Nasseri, Minister of
Petroleum and Mineral Resources of the United Arab Emirates.
OPEC bulletin 3/11
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