As fossil fuel rift delays COP28, Arab energy leaders say oil here to stay - Reuters

DOHA, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Oil and gas will be "pillars of global energy for many decades to come," the closing statement of a meeting of Arab energy ministers said on Tuesday, as the issue of ending the use of fossil fuels sent COP28 into overtime in pursuit of a deal.

Delegates at the U.N. climate talks in the United Arab Emirates, a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), are divided as some demand a call for a "phase-out" of oil, gas and coal as the biggest cause of global warming.

Arab and other hydrocarbon producers consider attempts at reducing fossil fuels as a blow to their economies.

"I am surprised by this ferocious attack of what is called 'phasing out' of oil or reducing dependence on oil as a source of energy with such ferocity that perhaps is matched by the greed of the West in general in seizing control of the economy," Kuwait's Oil Minister Saad Al Barrak said at the Arab Energy Conference on Tuesday.

He accused the West that he said, as a colonial power had "plundered" the wealth of Asia and Africa, of double standards in its attempt to take the lead "in ensuring the safety of the human environment through climate agreements".

The closing statement of the Arab Energy Conference in Doha recommended measures to develop fossil fuels, including developing national energy companies and creating mechanisms "to maintain production levels and work to provide additional production capacities".

On the subject of the climate, it said Arab countries should adopt "balanced development policies, including integrating the environmental dimension into development plans," adding investments should also be made in renewable energy, hydrogen and nuclear power.

Sources familiar with the discussions said the UAE's COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber had faced pressure from Saudi Arabia, de facto leader of OPEC, to which the UAE also belongs, to drop any mention of fossil fuels - which he did not do in a draft text.

The United Arab Emirates' COP28 Director General Majid Al Suwaidi said the COP28 presidency aimed for a "historic" result that included mentioning fossil fuels - but that it was up to countries to agree.

In a Dec. 6 letter seen by Reuters, OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais, who attended the conference in Doha, urged members and allies to reject any COP28 deal that targeted fossil fuels.

Reporting by Yousef Saba; editing by Barbara Lewis

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Yousef Saba

Thomson Reuters

Yousef covers Middle East energy out of Dubai, paying close attention to Gulf state oil giants, their roles in the ambitious region's transformational plans and the shift to green energy. He previously covered Gulf financial and economic news, with a focus on the fast-growing capital markets there. He joined Reuters in 2018 in Cairo, where he covered Egypt and Sudan, including its uprising. He previously had stints at a local paper in Cairo and in D.C. as an intern at Politico during the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Contact: +971562166204

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