CUERNAVACA, Mexico — U.S. Energy Secretary Bill Richardson on Saturday called on members of oil cartel OPEC and independent oil exporters to "keep their options open" on bringing more oil to world markets in the short term.

"We, the United States, think OPEC members and other non-OPEC members should simply keep their options open to take that decision (to hike output) and watch the price in the market at the meeting on June 21 and supply," he told reporters after a conference on Mexican-U.S. relations in Cuernavaca, 62.5 miles from Mexico City.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries is due to meet in Vienna on June 21. In the past few weeks key exporters like Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and non-OPEC Mexico have signaled they will not increase oil production in June but will consider hiking output in September when the northern hemisphere winter pushes up energy demand.

Oil prices have been hovering around $30 per barrel, sparking concern from the United States that gasoline prices will remain high during the peak summer driving season.

In March OPEC and other independent producers agreed to ease oil supply restrictions in order to replenish low stocks and provide relief for nine-year price peaks.

"What the world needs is price stability," Richardson said, noting he felt $10 per barrel was too low but $30 per barrel too high.

Richardson and his Mexican counterpart Luis Tellez were in Cuernavaca for a charity benefit and participated in a panel discussion on U.S.-Mexican relations.

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