The source said it was unclear whether the group would consider further cuts in oil output at this time to try to support prices. It isn't expected that representatives from any other oil exporting countries will attend the talks, the sources said. The March 22 Riyadh agreement between the three exporters led to a March 31 move by Opec to reduce output by 1.245 million barrels a day from April 1 through the end of the year. Apart from Mexico, other countries outside of Opec, such as Norway,Egypt, and Oman have pledged to cut output and China and Russia have pledged to support the policy, leading to total cuts of up to 1.7 million b/d during the second half of the year.

But oil prices, which got a $2 boost from the Riyadh announcement and are above the nine-year lows of mid-March, haven't recovered as much as some producers would like or expect, sources said. The price of Opec's basket of crudes lost ground between the Riyadh agreement and the Opec pact, and still is below its level when Opec last met. In the week after the Riyadh pact, Opec's basket price was $13.18, but for the week ended April 23 it remains below that level, at $12.78.

Brent ends up on possible crude-output cuts

Brent blend crude futures finished trading between 46 cents and 71 cents higher, with the front (June) Brent contract at $15.13, 67 cents up from the official settlement Friday.

The front (June/July) contango widened to 24c compared with 23c at the previous close. The strengthening belief Fridayafternoon that further crude output production cuts are to be considered in the coming days by Opec and some non-Opec members pushed the market up out of its recent trading range. One trader said the market saw a 'snowball effect' as buy stops were triggered as values drove higher.

Sparking the upward move was the news that representatives of Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Mexico are likely to meet as soon as this weekend to review the crude market situation. These three countries led the March move by a number of producer countries to pare output in the face of price weakness. The front-month Brent crude contract was pushed above its recent trading range, breaking above the psychologically important $15.00 mark, just before slipping back at the gasoil close.

Immediate resistance is pegged at $15.20 for June Brent. Values rose above $15.00 in late trading. Gasoil saw similar gains, driven also by strong increases in heating oil and unleaded gasoline futures prices on Nymex, one trader said. These gains werealso supported by news of a Coastal Corp. products pipeline explosion in Texas.

Concern over the content of an Iraqi message to the U.N. Security Council lent additional support to the market. The Iraqis threatened 'grave consequences' if the U.N. did not lift sanctions.

IPE gasoil futures finished trading earlier between $3.25-$5.75 stronger. The front (May) gasoil contract stood at $138.75, $5.50 higher by the official settlement, having traded in a range $135.50-$139.00.