VIENNA, (AFP) - The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) oil-producing countries left its production quotas unchanged Tuesday, a statement said.(Read photo caption below).
"The conference has decided to maintain current production levels unchanged," said the statement, read out after a two-hour formal session of the 11-member grouping.
OPEC, which produces 40 percent of the world's crude, called the extraordinary meeting notably to discuss the market situation after Iraq suspended its UN-administered oil exports last month.
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PHOTO CAPTION

Delegates talk prior to the start of a formal meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) at their headquaters in Vienna, Austria, Tuesday July 3, 2001. OPEC members agreed Tuesday to continue pumping oil at current levels but braced for softer crude prices as Iraq showed a willingness to resume its oil shipments.(AP Photo/Ronald Zak)
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