2002 - OPEC

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Activities of the Secretariat
Office of the Secretary General
The year 2002 brought major change in the Office of the Secretary General (SGO), with the unexpected
recall of HE Dr Alí Rodríguez Araque to Venezuela, where he assumed the position of President of the
Venezuelan National Oil Company, PDVSA. The Conference appointed on July 1, 2002, HE Dr Alvaro
Silva-Calderón, Venezuela’s Minister of Energy & Mines, as his successor.
During the year, the activities of the Office of the Secretary General centred around meeting the
requirements of the Chief Executive in the execution of his duties. As in the past, considerable time
and energy was concentrated on preparing documentation for and servicing Meetings of the Conference,
the MMSC, and the BoG. In addition to co-ordinating the preparation of reports and documentation
for submission to the various ministerial and gubernatorial gatherings, the staff of the SGO were also
occupied with minuting the Meetings, preparing précis of the discussions held and summaries of the
decisions taken, as well as preparing formal, edited minutes of the deliberations for distribution to
Ministers and Governors, as appropriate.