At the Chicago Board of Trade, wheat for delivery in December closed 4-1/2 cents a bushel lower at $2.90-1/2.

The weakness was linked to news that Russian agriculture minister Viktor Semyonov said Russia wants corn, soymeal and protein and vitamin supplements. He did not mention wheat.

"He is the food minister and involved in negotiations, so if it's strictly humanitarian aid, maybe wheat won't be involved," said Dale Gustafson, an analyst for Salomon Smith Barney.

Russia's news agency Interfax reported Russian and US negotiators on Thursday discussed the possibility of the US sending Russia more than 3 million tonnes of grain aid.

Wheat traders have hoped for weeks that a food donation package for Russian would include sizable amounts of US wheat.

A US agriculture department spokeswoman said no announcements were expectedthis week on a US food aid package.

Livestock traders have hoped that any Russian aid package would include pork. U.S. Trade groups have pressed the government to make donations to Russia, which is the third largest market for US pork.

Crude oil futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange ended slightly lower after failing to draw inspiration from comments by oil ministers from the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries and with a diminishing threat to production from Hurricane Mitch in the Caribbean.

Crude oil for December delivery settled 5 cents a barrel lower at $14.24.

An informal meeting of most of the 11 Opec oil ministers in Cape Town, South Africa, dashed any lingering hopes that producers would again cut production to stir a price revival.

Opec secretary-general Rilwanu Lukman said the ministers merely exchanged views on the market and discussed options for their next scheduled meeting, set for November 25 in Vienna.

The meeting, held on the fringe of an annual meeting of oilministers from oil consuming and producing countries, was attended by OPEC heavyweights, including Saudi Arabia's oil minister Ali al-Naimi and Venezuela's Erwin Arrieta.

The Saudi minister had warned earlier not to expect any news and to wait until the November 25 meeting for any further action on oil output cuts.

"This is not an Opec meeting. Let's wait until next month," he said, effectively pouring cold water on any chance of deeper cuts to oil supply soon.

The downgrading of the fierce Hurricane Mitch to a tamer tropical storm eased worries about production disruptions and pressured prices.

Although the storm was weakening, Hurricane Mitch continued to lash the Honduras coast on Thursday, leaving at least 24 dead and the northwest Caribbean region bracing for more destruction.