Mr. Attiyah emphasized that the increase in quotas may be temporary.
Instead, it said it would continue a 2percentt increase in quotas, scheduled to take effect in August.
Many had expected an increase in quotas as members with spare production capacity, led by Saudi Arabia, pushed to avoid a price spike that may dampen long-term demand.
Instead, the Bush administration opted in February for a small increase in quotas while backing legislation to lower import duties on just two categories, leather gloves and hand-knotted carpets.
The IMF will get some extra cash at the end of the year from a general increase in quotas, the maximum amounts countries are obliged to supply to the fund.
"Any increase in quotas is welcomed, but it is incumbent on both governments to develop trading protocols that send correct signals to producers and customers," said David Farley, managing director of the Australian Agricultural Co., the country's largest beef producer.
On September 11th the International Energy Agency IEAa), a quasi-governmental watchdog set up by the world's biggest oil consumers, said that stocks of crude were "uncomfortably low" going into the winter, and the whole situation "every bit as precarious" as in 1999, before a notably volatile spell for oil prices.This being so, the Saudis might argue at Osaka for a modest increase in quotas.
Data from the Nordic tax study were used; a telephone survey with a sample from the adult Swedish population, aged 16 80 years old, was carried out during the third quarter (July September) of 2003, prior to the Danish tax change and the increase in quotas, by the national survey institute Synovate Sweden AB (former Temo).
General increases in quotas normally occur following the periodic reviews, although special reviews and increases sometimes occur for specific countries, such as Saudi Arabia in 1981.
In September, President Obama announced an increase in the quota for the coming year to ten thousand.
