VIENNA(Zawya Dow Jones)--The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC, is "unlikely" to raise its assigned quota level in line with its current production level this year, Libya's top oil official said Sunday.
"If whenever they (member countries) violate quotas we raise production, then they will still not comply and produce over the new level," Shokri Ghanem told Zawya Dow Jones by telephone.
He said members meeting in Vienna March 17 will call for further compliance with the agreed quota.
OPEC production in February rose 190,000 barrels a day, according to secondary sources, to total 29.4 million barrels a day from January's 29.2 million barrels a day.
The statistics show compliance by the 11 quota-bound members, including Libya, with production cuts agreed in 2008 having now fallen to 53.2% from 55.9% in January and 80% in March last year.
Libya's crude oil production rose from 1.538 million barrels per day in January to 1.560 million barrels a day, based on secondary sources.
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