Britain Says London Energy Talks Go Ahead In Dec

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was the most senior foreign official to attend the Jeddah Energy Meeting hosted by the Saudi king.

Britain on Wednesday said its meeting of major oil producers and consumers would take place in London at ministerial, not heads of state level, as had been previously planned.

The meeting follows consumer-producer talks held in Jeddah in June, which were called by top exporter Saudi Arabia to tackle what were then record high oil prices.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was the most senior foreign official to attend the Jeddah Energy Meeting hosted by the Saudi king.

"Given that there will be a world leaders' meeting anyway on November 15 to discuss the international economic situation and no doubt oil will be discussed as a part of this, we have decided to revert to the formula that was taken at Jeddah -- that this should be a meeting primarily of energy ministers," a spokesman for Brown said.

A separate Downing Street spokesman declined to say who had been invited to the meeting, scheduled to take place on Dec. 19.

Leaders of the G20 will meet in Washington on Nov. 15 to discuss reform of the financial system.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries was not available for comment, but an Iranian official close to OPEC said he understood all OPEC ministers had been invited.