沙特與俄羅斯同意凍結石油產量

Saudi Arabia has struck a landmark deal with Russia to freeze oil output, in the first co-ordinated move to try to reduce a near record supply glut and halt the collapse in prices.

沙特阿拉伯與俄羅斯簽署了具有里程碑意義的凍結石油產量的協議，這是雙方首次合作以努力減少接近創紀錄的供應過剩，遏止油價暴跌。

After watching oil prices fall 70 per cent since mid-2014, Ali al-Naimi, Saudi Arabia’s powerful oil minister, said an output freeze by some of the world’s leading producers should start to stabilise the market.

在目睹油價自2014年中期以來下跌70%之後，沙特阿拉伯石油部長阿里納伊米(Ali Al-Naimi)表示，全球一些主要產油國凍結產量應當開始穩定市場。

Yesterday’s deal, which requires other big producers to agree to cap output, was reached at a closed-door meeting in Doha with Opec members Qatar and Venezuela also in attendance.

昨日的協議是在多哈的一場閉門會議上達成的，歐佩克(OPEC)成員國卡塔爾和委內瑞拉也參加了此次會議。協議要求其他大型產油國同意設置產量上限。

The deal between Saudi Arabia and Russia comes against a backdrop of strained political relations between the parties. Tensions remain high over the civil war in Syria, with Moscow and Tehran propping up the regime of Bashar al-Assad, while Riyadh backs opposition forces.

沙特與俄羅斯是在雙方政治關係緊張的背景下籤署上述協議的。圍繞敘利亞內戰的局勢依然高度緊張，莫斯科和德黑蘭支持敘利亞的巴沙爾阿薩德(Bashar al-Assad)政權，而利雅得支持反對派力量。

While the speed of the deal between the Opec powerbroker and Russia, the world’s biggest producer, surprised the market, traders remained sceptical that the provisional agreement would gain wider acceptance. Opec member Iran is seen as the biggest stumbling block.

儘管歐佩克權力掮客沙特與全球最大產油國俄羅斯迅速敲定協議讓市場感到意外，但交易員們仍懷疑這份臨時協議能否獲得更廣泛的接受。人們認爲，歐佩克成員國伊朗是最大的絆腳石。

In a bid to bring the most reluctant Opec members on board, Eulogio del Pino, Venezuelan oil minister, who has led the diplomatic push for a deal, will travel to Tehran today to meet officials from Iran and Iraq.

爲了爭取最不情願凍結產量的幾個歐佩克成員國配合，委內瑞拉石油部長歐洛希奧德爾皮諾(Eulogio del Pino)將於今日前往德黑蘭與伊朗和伊拉克官員會晤。他引領了達成協議的外交努力。

Bijan Zangeneh, Iran’s oil minister, said the country would not give up its share of the market, according to Iranian news agency Shana. The country has only just started raising exports after the lifting of sanctions last month.

伊朗新聞機構Shana報道稱，伊朗石油部長比詹帠格蘭多(Bijan Zangeneh)表示，該國將不會放棄其市場份額。在上月被取消制裁之後，伊朗只是剛剛開始增加出口。

News of the meeting between Saudi and Russian officials caused oil prices to spike as much as 6 per cent but the formal announcement resulted in a sharp reversal as traders calculated it mght not remove a significant number of barrels from the market. Brent crude, the global benchmark, had fallen 3 per cent to $32.39 a barrel late in the day, marking a near 10 per cent intraday swing.

沙特和俄羅斯官員會晤的消息導致油價一度飆升6%，但隨後正式發佈的聲明導致油價急劇回落，因爲交易員們認爲該協議不會讓市場顯著減少石油供應。全球基準原油布倫特原油到格林尼治標準時間週二18點54分時下跌4%，至每桶32.06美元，使日內波動幅度達到10%。