UAE's former petroleum minister honoured at Opec event in Vienna

Dr Mana Al Otaiba, a prolific poet, penned a piece about Opec's woes which he circulated to friends at the event

Dr Mana Al Otaiba, former Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources of the UAE, has been honoured at an event for Opec members in Vienna.

Guests at the 7th Opec International Seminar gala dinner, which was hosted by the UAE at Vienna City Hall, watched a short video tribute to Dr. Otaiba, who served as the president of Opec for a record six times between 1971 and 1983.

He received an award from Suhail Al Mazrouei, the current Opec President, at the event.

Dr Al Otaiba served his ministerial role under the Founding Father Sheikh Zayed, before becoming an adviser to Sheikh Zayed and later the current President, Sheikh Khalifa.

The dinner took place before a contentious meeting of the group, which pitted Iran and Venezuela against Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Russia.

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The trio led by Saudi Arabia proposed to increase production and rein in prices. Members ultimately agreed to increase output.

Dr Al Otaiba, who is a prolific poet, penned a piece about Opec's woes, which he circulated to friends at the event.

The poem bemoans the body’s “weak and feeble” position.

“By controlling the tap of your crude oil, you sufficed us and satisfied our needs. We neither choose to sell it cheap, nor to be prodigal ourselves; So as to spare our offspring their allotted share and keep up to be right and fair,” he wrote.

“Oh Opec, how sad I am sometimes to see conflicts arise among your kith and kin. How many a time I said: keep aligned when I saw a scar on your body of a bleeding wound.”