VIENNA, Jan. 31 (Xinhuanet) -- The 139th Meeting of the OPEC Conference agreed here on Tuesday to keep its oil output ceiling at a maximum 28 million barrels per day, aiming to tackle the high price of the fuel and increasing demand.

    The decision was written into a communique issued here after the end of the meeting.

    OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) is committed to a stable oil market and urged all parties concerned to work for this objective, said Edmund Maduabebe Daukoru, president of the OPEC Conference and minister of State for Petroleum Resources of Nigeria, at the concluding press conference.

    He said the 11-member oil cartel decided not to alter current production levels, given the high oil price and surging demand, adding that the move was good for global economic growth.

    Minutes after the decision announced by OPEC, crude oil prices fell below 68 US dollars a barrel.

    Recently, however, the oil prices on international markets have climbed above 68 US dollars due to anxieties over Iran and Nigeria.

    On Jan. 10, Iran announced a relaunch of nuclear research, igniting tension between the West and OPEC's second biggest oil producer.

    Given the current situation, the OPEC president urged all parties concerned, other than the OPEC members, to "play their own part" in stabilizing the international oil market.

    "It is not a problem only for OPEC," he said.

    However, the announcement is just a "wait-and-see" decision for OPEC, as Edmund Maduabebe Daukoru said it expects to review the issue in March. Enditem