JAKARTA, July 29 (Xinhua) -- OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) hoped that Indonesia still remains as the membership of the organization, but also said that the country has a right whether to continue as its membership, President of the cartel Chakib Khelil said here on Tuesday.

    Talking to a press conference after meeting with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the OPEC president said that the cartel had viewed and valued the membership of Indonesia in the organization.

    "Indonesia has played a very important role in OPEC and we expected it to continue plying that important role. The decision to remain or pull out of OPEC is a sovereign decision. It is not up to OPEC, it is up to the country," said Khelil.

    However, it was a common that one country quits from the organization and then comes back in the future, he said.

    Indonesian Minister of Mines and Energy Purnomo Yusgiantoro said that the growing of population and economic activity in Indonesia, which leads to the rise of oil consumption, had made the country become a net oil importer.

    Purnomo said that Indonesia has planed to quit from OPEC next year due to the status of the country as net oil importer since 2003. Indonesia made the decision soon after it raised oil price by an average of 28.7 percent in May following the soaring global oil price.

    Indonesia has attempted to reduce crude oil output as it has failed to find new oilfields fast enough. Currently, the country only can produce crude oil by 9,225 barrels per day.