Saudi King Abdullah : Oil shouldn't be a tool for conflict

King Abdullah says oil shouldn't be a tool for conflict; it should be a tool for development.

King Abdullah, the head of state of the host nation, Saudi Arabia, the largest oil producer in the world and a US ally says, "Those who want Opec to take advantage of its position are forgetting that Opec has always acted moderately and wisely," he said.

Saudi King Abdullah attends the opening ceremony for the OPEC Summit in Riyadh November 17, 2007. OPEC heads of state pledged to provide 'adequate, timely and sufficient' oil supplies to the market at a meeting in Riyadh on Sunday, but the summit ended with a sharp political division over the weak dollar.

The Saudi king also tried to redirect the Opec opening session to the summit's agenda, announcing a move to support environmental efforts.

He said: "I wish to announce that the Saudi government has put $300m in a programme to finance scientific research in the fields of energy, environment and climate."

As the talks entered a second day on Sunday, other Opec members had not committed to the Saudi plan.

Rafael Correa, president of Ecuador, which has rejoined Opec after a 15 year break, proposed that a tax be imposed on oil-consuming nations for environmental protection programmes elsewhere.