Oil prices eased in Asian trade Friday in a technical pullback after jumping back above 61 dollars on the view the Opec cartel is serious about production cuts, dealers said.

At 2:16 pm (0616 GMT) New York's main contract, light sweet crude for December delivery, was down 16 cents to 60.00 dollars a barrel from 61.16 dollars in late US trade Thursday, when prices touched their highest levels since October 26.

Brent North Sea crude for December fell two cents to 61.30 dollars.

Steve Rowles, an analyst with CFC Seymour in Hong Kong, said the market had eased in technical trade after the sharp gains, rather than on geopolitical or other news.

Prices rose in US trade in reaction to signs the Opec cartel is following through on production cuts and to a large fall in US inventory of distillates, including heating oil,

reported this week, he said.

The US Department of Energy said Wednesday that inventories of distillates, including heating oil and diesel, fell 2.7 million barrels to 138.6 million in the week to November 3. Analysts had expected a fall of only 800,000 barrels.

The DoE report intensified doubts about the outlook for energy supplies after Saudi Arabian oil minister Ali al-Naimi indicated Monday that Opec could cut output furtheratits meeting in December.

The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries last month said it would cut its total output by 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd), effective November 1, to put a floor under prices which have fallen from record highs above 78 dollars earlier this year.

Many oil pundits have been sceptical about whether Opec members will go through with the cut but the comments by al-Naimi and other cartel ministers lent credence to the cartel's official position.

"The market is stronger because Opec is saying and at least most of Opec is doing the right thing to support oil prices and the weather is getting colder here (in the United States), which improves demand," PFC Energy trader Carl Calabro said in US trading hours.

"Saudi Arabia seems to be leading the way for Opec to cut output again in the December meetings," said Rowles.

He said that after the US midterm elections, in which Democrats gained control of Congress, geopolitical issues including Iran and North Korea will resurface.

Democrats have pledged to make the US more self-sufficient in energy by boosting alternative energies and reducing foreign oil imports.