SYDNEY, Australia, Sept. 8--OPEC President Purnomo Yusgiantoro blamed a "political premium" of $10-15 a barrel for soaring oil prices Wednesday, saying the oil organization is exceeding its supply quotas but the market is not responding, AFP said.
Purnomo said OPEC was concerned about the high oil prices but exceptional circumstances restricted its room to maneuver on the issue.
"According to our view based on the fundamentals--supply and demand values--the price should not be as high as what we see today," he told reporters at the 19th World Energy Congress in Sydney.
"What we see is a political premium between $10-15 per barrel."
Purnomo, who is also Indonesia's Energy Minister, cited market speculation and geo-political factors including unrest in the Iraqi city of Najaf and Russian government action against the country's largest oil producer Yukos, for the high oil price.
He expects prices to fall from current levels of more than $40 by the end of the year, based on contracts exchanged on oil futures markets.
Asked to speculate on how much the price could fall he replied: "Boy...five dollars a barrel?"
In Asian trade Wednesday, oil prices continued to weaken as concerns over the possible impact of Hurricane Frances on the southern US states which are home to major oil production and refinery facilities faded.
Purnomo also said the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries was likely to change its target band of $22 to 28 a barrel at a meeting in Vienna on September 15.

LONDON, Sept. 8--The BBC has invited three of the world's largest media groups to discuss possible bids for BBC Worldwide, the corporation's commercial sales and publishing arm, AFP quoted the Financial Times as reporting Wednesday.
Executives from the world's biggest media group, US-based Time Warner, as well as those from US giant Walt Disney Corporation and Germany's Bertelsmann are to hold talks with the BBC in the coming weeks, it said.
Assets up for grabs include the BBC America and BBC Prime channels, along with 26 magazine titles, merchandising operations and the broadcaster's overseas program sales unit.
BBC executives believe the Worldwide division, which generated free cash flow of 141 million pounds in the 12 months to March 31, could be worth up to two billion pounds (2.9 billion euros, $3.5 billion), according to the FT.
The publicly funded broadcaster is considering a possible sale of its commercial operations as part of an internal review following the fallout from last year's Hutton inquiry report.
Former BBC director general Greg Dyke resigned in January after a judicial report by senior judge Lord Brian Hutton into the suicide of respected defense ministry weapons expert David Kelly faulted the corporation for lax editorial management.
Kelly had been the source of a BBC radio report in May 2003 which alleged that Prime Minister Tony Blair's government had "sexed up" pre-war intelligence on Iraq and weapons of mass destruction.
Hutton cleared Blair and his inner circle of serious wrongdoing, but heaped criticism on the BBC for failing to take Downing Street's protests about the report seriously.

SARAJEVO,
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Sept. 8--World leaders should support development and give hope to young people who account for half of the world's population instead of spending hundreds of billions of dollars on defense, Reuters quoted the World Bank chief as saying on Tuesday.
"At the moment, we are spending $900 billion a year on defense and $50 to $60 billion a year only on development," said World Bank Group President James Wolfensohn.
Speaking at the bank's second international conference on youth, development and peace in Sarajevo, he said developing countries accounted for five billion out of six billion people on the planet.
"The problem is not going to go away. If the world focuses on the problem of poverty...we have it in our power to fix it over a period of time," Wolfensohn said. "We have resources to do it but you need the will to do it," he added.
Wolfensohn said education and employment were the biggest problems for youth across the world. Supporting and working with young people were key strategies for combating poverty and enhancing human development.
According to a study in August by the International Labour Office (ILO), youth unemployment reached an all-time high with 88 million unemployed people aged 15 to 24.
"We have $300 billion that is being spent on agricultural subsidies that could be used to more positive purposes," Wolfensohn told the conference of some 170 young people from 83 countries.
Wolfensohn said the World Bank had brought about the forgiveness of close to $50 billion of poor nations' debts under its debt relief program.

BRUSSELS, Belgium, Sept. 8--The Dutch pay most into the European Union's coffers, while the Portuguese and Irish are the biggest recipients of EU funds, the European Commission said Tuesday, AFP reported.
But EU budget commissioner Michaele Schreyer said that, whether net contributor or net beneficiary, the economic advantages of belonging to the European Union far outweigh the costs.
Overall just four EU countries were net beneficiaries to EU coffers in 2003: Portugal, Greece, Ireland and Spain, while all the rest were net contributors, the report said.
In terms of cash per head, this amounts to a net receipt of 391.7 euros for each Irish national, 333.4 euros for Portuguese, 305.3 euros for Greeks and 213.9 euros for Spaniards.
At the other of the scale, Dutch and Luxembourg nationals pay 120 euros and 125 euros respectively, followed by Swedes on 106 euros, Germans on 93 euros, Belgians on 75 euros and Britons on 46.5 euros. French pay 32 euros each.
"For net contributors too, the economic and political benefits from belonging to the internal market, the currency union and the European peace framework far outweigh the net payments to the EU budget," she said. "EU membership is the best conceivable investment," she added.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 8--The US government budget deficit will be a record $422 billion for the fiscal year to September 30, the Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday, AFP reported.
Although the gap is the highest ever in dollar terms, it is slightly below the forecast published in late July by the White House, for a 445-billion-dollar budget deficit.
The deficit has been a key election-year issue, and the latest figures generated further political debate over the nation's economic management.
"Only George W. Bush could celebrate over a record budget deficit of $422 billion, a loss of 1.6 million jobs and Medicare premiums that are up by a record 17 percent," Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry said in a statement.
On the Republican side, House Budget Committee Chairman Jim Nussle said the "report underscores that our policies are working to create a stronger economy, more jobs and a lower deficit."
The deficit projected by the nonpartisan CBO would be 3.6 percent of the US gross domestic product (GDP), smaller than the deficits of the mid-1980s and early 1990s relative to the size of the economy.
The deficit projections are also somewhat lower than those made earlier this year by the CBO and the administration of President George W. Bush, which at one point forecast a gap of $521 billion.
The report said improving economic conditions have boosted government revenues since the March forecast, allowing the CBO to cut its projected deficit by $56 billion for 2004. But it also increased its projection for the 10-year deficit by $281 billion, based on inflationary projections, higher defense outlays and other technical revisions.

Alvard Garden (Red Rose Garden), Sabashar, Tehran province

The Persian daily Abrar recently conducted an interview with Sabashahr Mayor Ali Havasi on the performance of its municipality.
Havasi announced that 105 development projects are underway, of which 31 became operational in the Government Week (Aug. 22-29).
"The construction of the four-lane boulevard in Shahriar is one of the giant projects," he said.
The boulevard will be built with a width of 55 meters and a length of 13.5 kilometers.
The mayor added that construction of a park near the boulevard's square with a green area of 6 hectares is underway.
He noted that "Velayat Boulevard" would connect Shahriar to Robatkarim in Tehran province.

Ali Havasi

"After Imam Khomeini International Airport was launched, the need for a regional highway was felt," he said.
Havasi pointed out that Sabashahr Municipality, in cooperation with members of Sabashahr City Council, earmarked 9 billion rials from the municipality's budget to the project, which will be completed within two years.
"Although the project is a national plan, it does not enjoy adequate financial support from the government," he said.
According to the mayor, about 90 percent of Robatkarim-Shahriar Road's subgrading is ready. He noted that a section of it falls under the jurisdiction of Robatkarim Municipality which has expressed its readiness to continue the construction.
The plants and trees of the boulevard will have two basic characteristics:
1. It would be compatible with the environment, and
2. Trees would be fruitless.
"When Sabashahr Municipality started its work, per capita vegetation was 1 meter," he said, adding that this has reached 6 meters per person at present and will increase to 9 meters in the future.
Havasi maintained that the construction of Engineers Township is another important project. The township, which will be located at the entrance of Sabashahr, will have an area of 26 hectares and 20,000 residents. It will be build on the basis of urbanization principles.
The next item on the municipality's agenda is Sabashahr Hadi Plan. Under the plan, if approved, industrial units will be transferred to a complex located along Saveh Road which is being constructed in an area of 400 hectares.
The mayor thanked the cooperation of officials, including the region's governor general, governor, Majlis deputy and members of the city council.
Havasi expressed hope that the state officials will financially support the above-mentioned projects and compensate the funds spent for the development projects from the municipality's budget, which is meant for extending civic services to the residents.

1. Shaqayeq Park
2. Park near Cultural Center
3. Kaboudin Park (Children's Garden)
4. Alvard Garden (Red Rose Garden)
5. Qandishad Park
6. Nour Park
7. Mostafat Khomeini Township Sports Hall
8. Qasemabad Municipality's Sports Hall
9. Eslamabad Sports Hall
10. Qandishad Sports Hall (Physical Education Organization)
11. Hall of Qasemabad Cultural Center
12. Third Floor of Municipality Building
13. New Building of Water Organization
14. Morgue Building
15. New Branch of Bank Melli (Sabashahr Municipality Branch)
16. Bridge in Qasemabad
17. Coastal Wall Along Imam Khomeini Boulevard in Qasemabad
18. Eastbound Lane of Imam Khomeini Boulevard (Subgrading, Asphalting and Kerbing)
19. New Municipality Building of Alvard's District 3
20. Subgrading, Kerbing and Asphalting of Streets of Engineers Township
21. Asphalting of Northbound Lane of Velayat Boulevard's Square
22. Subgrading and Kerbing of Road at the Entry of Sabashahr on Two Sides (Vireh and Mostafa Khomeini Township)
23. National Green Movement Plan 6 km Along Saveh Highway
24. Construction of Forest Park in Qandishad in an area of 2.5 hectares
25. Subgrading, Kerbing and Asphalting of Kaboudin Boulevard
26. Subgrading and Asphalting of Qandishad-Highway
27. Construction of Riverbank Boulevard Linking Alvard
28. Subgrading, Kerbing and Construction of a Canal to Drain Surface Water of Qasemabad's Qodratollah Tajik Avenue
29. Asphalting and Construction of a 1-km-long Canal to Drain Surface Water in Eslamabad's Shahid Rajaie Avenue (North Sabashahr Section) Toward the South
30. Subgrading of a 1.5-km stretch at the End of Mokhaberat Avenue
31. Construction of approximately 10 kilometers of Shahriar-Sabashar Boulevard
32. Asphalting of Alvard Village's Streets
33. Asphalting and Kerbing of Boulevard and Streets of Balatappeh
34. Subgrading and Kerbing of Rahmani Area (Balatappeh)
35. Subgrading and Kerbing of Vireh's Taleqani Avenue, 1 km

1. Sabashahr Stadium in Qandishad District
2. Bus Terminal
3. Hazrat Abolfazl (AS) Medical Center near Imam Khomeini Boulevard
4. Vireh Gymnasium
5. Mostafa Khomeini Park
6. Khalatbari Emergency Center N0. 115
7.Vireh and Mohammadabad Library
(New Building)
8. Refah Department Store (Khalatbari)
9. Sabashahr Qur'an Center
10. Weightlifting Hall (Qandishad)
11. Sabashahr Cultural Center located in Baqerkhan Land
12. Khalatbari Township (Park Cultural Center)