Al-Naimi acknowledged this week he'd like prices to be a few dollars a barrel lower, adding that "US$25 is the magic number" that satisfies both producers and consumers.
OPEC should help bring prices down "to a more reasonable level," European Commission spokesman Gilles Gantelet said this week.
Algerian Oil Minister Chakib Khelil said a free market system wouldn't enhance security of supply.
"A free market ensures the least cost oil is developed first so you'd be dependent on one country," he said. "So it's a contradiction to have a free market and security of supply." OPEC's spare oil production capacity "is like an insurance policy" for possible supply disruptions, he said.
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