"The IEA assured me that that is it, and that it will cooperate with OPEC," the oil group's Secretary General Abdullah al-Badri said, referring to the surprise release of OECD oil stocks announced in June weeks after OPEC failed to agree an increase in output to dampen rising oil prices.

The IEA's new director has pledged to improve cooperation with OPEC, he said.

Copyright Reuters, 2011