The law of unintended consequences has struck again. Just ahead of meetings meant to cement a new non-confrontational relationship between producers and consumers, a war of words has erupted between these groups' representatives. The consumers' IEA, the producers' Opec and the International Energy Forum (IEF) — the group that embodies producer-consumer dialogue — are holding a "symposium on energy outlooks" in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 24 January. This is to be followed by a special IEF ministerial meeting in the city on 22 February to sign the IEF charter.
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