DUBAI. Dec 11: Saudi Arabia's Oil Minister Ali Bin Ibrahim Al-Nuaimi yesterday named Abdullah Saleh ((Jumma as head of global oil Iglant Saudi Aramco. tH6 Offi-

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King Fahd had approved the appointment, it quoted Nuaimi as saying.

It was believed to be the 73-year-old King's first public decision since being discharged from hospital on Friday after what US officials said was a stroke.

Jumma. an Aramco veteran. succeeded Nuaimi in the top job at the world's largest oil company in terms of reserves and output.

Jumma has been serving as acting president and chief executive of the company since August when Nuaimi was made Oil Minister in a cabinet reshuffle.

Saudi Aramco controls 26 per cent of the world's recoverable oil reserves. Aramco is in charge of the kingdom's eight million barrel per day (BPD) production with large refining and downstream holdings in Saudi Arabia. North America. Europe and Asia.

It earns Riyadh 35 billion dollars in oil exports a year, providing much of the indus-. triallsed world — notably the United States and Japan — with Its energy needs.

Jumma will be right-hand man to Nuaimi and will serve on the supreme petroleum council, the kingdom's ultimate decision-making body on oil policy.