Conference raises fear of gas-pricing cartel

The world’s largest natural gas exporting countries plan to establish a high-level group to look at gas pricing, Russian energy minister Viktor Khristenko said at the 16-member Gas Producing Countries Forum in Doha, Qatar.

His Iranian and Qatari counterparts denied the producers aim to establish a cartel.

Europe and the US have expressed worries that the gas exporters seek to establish a cartel along the lines of Opec that would control production levels and pricing.