Isfahan (Iran), June 17 (IANS) Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Tuesday called for new strategies and programmes for the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in order to face the current economic challenges, official IRNA news agency reported. “We all should get well prepared for development and changes in the world,” the Iranian leader said during a meeting with Suleyman al-Harbish, chairman of OPEC Fund for International Development, on the sidelines of the 29th meeting of the Council of Ministers of OPEC Fund for International Development being under way in this ancient Iranian city of Isfahan.

Ahmadinejad also suggested that parts of resources and assets of the OPEC member states be granted as loans to poor nations by the OPEC Fund in order to help them tackle the current economic and food crisis.

Calling the Iranian leader’s suggestions as “very constructive and positive”, Al-Harbish said such proposals could be used to serve the poor nations.

Earlier Tuesday opening the two-day OPEC Fund conference, Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki also stressed the need for adopting new strategies for the 13-nation organisation to tackle the economic challenges.

“New strategies are needed for fostering active participation of the organization in global development programmes,” Mottaki said in his address to the conference.

“The assistances rendered by the OPEC fund have helped remove a part of economic and social problems of countries, but it requires new methods to tackle new challenges,” he added.

“Current crises including energy crisis and price hikes are not the result of the real performance of global markets, but according to experts, they are due to counterfeit deals and demands for oil,” he noted.

The minister added that the unbridled surge of oil prices in recent months has had adverse effects on the economy of developing and oil exportering countries.

The OPEC Fund meeting is aimed at discussing current economic and energy issue of the cartel’s member countries.