MELBOURNE, November 18 (RIA Novosti) - World oil prices will not fall in the long term, the Russian finance minister said Saturday.
"They [world oil prices] may fall, but only temporarily; otherwise they will continue to rise," Alexei Kudrin said.
He said that he was talking about long-term trends.
Kudrin said earlier Saturday that with world oil prices at $61 per barrel or less, the ruble will not appreciate by more than 5% in 2007.
"With spending levels that we have planned for next year, the risks [of ruble appreciation] remain. But if oil prices do not exceed $61 per barrel, the ruble's effective appreciation will not be more than 5%."
He said that with oil prices above $61 per barrel, the ruble will appreciate further.
Kudrin said political problems in various parts of the world continue to push oil prices up.
