GENEVA: The deputy head of the International Energy Agency warned on Monday that political unrest in North Africa and the Middle East was a "key" uncertainty hanging over oil markets.
Richard Jones, deputy executive director of the IEA, underlined that OPEC and non-OPEC producers had enough capacity to cope with demand and avoid a surge to the record 110 dollar a barrel high seen in 2008.
"All in all, market fundamentals could potentially impose a ceiling on prices for the next few months at least," Jones told a UN seminar on commodities markets
"However I want to stress that key uncertainties remain."
"I mentioned the strength of the economic recovery, demand being one of those, but another one is the unfolding developments in the Mideast - North Africa region at this time, and we're all watching those very carefully obviously," he added.
World oil prices rose close to 100 dollars a barrel earlier on Monday on fears that violent unrest in Egypt could disrupt the flow of oil through the Suez Canal on its way to the West, analysts said.
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