"I do not know if the world is doing enough to stabilise these oil-producing countries," said Aramco's senior vice-president for exploration and production, Abdullah Al Saif, at the opening of the International Petroleum Technology Conference (IPTC).

He and other industry players also told participants to the second IPTC forum of the need for alternative forms of energy, the enactment of climate-change legislations, increased human resources and increased cooperation between national and international oil companies.

Al Saif took note of Iraq, which has been occupied by the US since 2003; Iran, whose nuclear programme has irked the ire of Washington; and Venezuela, which attracted US concerns on the alleged decline of its democratic institutions.

He argued for increased investment in the oil and gas industry saying that all energy sources, including alternative forms of solar and wind power, must complement each other to meet future world demand.

Experts noted that world oil consumption would increase during this winter season but were unclear whether the Organisation for Petroleum Exporting Countries must increase its output.

There has been intense pressure from oil-consuming countries for Opec to boost supply to lower prices, which hit nearly $100 per barrel last week. World oil prices held under $89 on Monday, as traders were watching the Opec meeting this week.

In September, Saudi Arabia appealed to other Opec members to raise production by 500,000 barrels per day to address concerns on the impact of high oil prices.

Qatari Minister of State for Energy and Industrial Affairs Mohamed Saleh Al Sada stressed that the lack of human resources has become a "strategic issue" because the industry will soon experience a serious shortage of talent.

Chad Deaton, CEO of Baker Hughes, a global manufacturer of technically advanced drill bits, said that in 5-10 years most of the industry's top-notch petroleum engineers who are geologists will be retiring from their jobs.

The chairman of Cambridge Energy Research Associates, Daniel Yergin, said government regulations are needed to cushion the adverse effects of climate change brought about by increased consumption of fossil fuels.

Yergin, whose company provides energy markets analyses, and other experts have noted the importance of energy-sufficiency issue in the global arena.

They said that both national and international oil corporations must complement each other in terms of resources and know-how to best increase production and harness new sources for renewable energy.