UAE oil minister Souhail al-Mazrouei said Tuesday it was too early for OPEC to decide whether it should reduce its 30 million b/d crude output ceiling at its next ministerial meeting in November.
Oil prices have been falling since mid-August, driven by expectations that growth in world oil demand will be outpaced by growth in supply.
OPEC secretary general Abdalla el-Badri said last week that lower output would be required from the oil producer group next year.
Mazrouei, quoted by UAE official news agency WAM, said: "It is premature to take a decision on whether the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, should reduce its production ceiling at its meeting in November to consult and agree on the procedures."
Earlier this month, Saudi oil minister Ali Naimi played down the sharp drop in oil prices, saying it was not the first time crude prices had fallen.
Oil prices went "up and down" all the time, Naimi said, adding he did not see what what "the big fuss" was this time.
Any measures OPEC might need to take regarding the price drop should be discussed at OPEC's November 27 meeting in Vienna, he said.
The Saudi minister was speaking in the same week Brent dipped below $100/barrel for the first time since June 2013.
Brent has traded on Tuesday between $96.90/barrel and $97.59/b.
OPEC's latest forecasts see demand for its crude averaging 29.45 million b/d this year and falling to 29.2 million b/d in 2015.
But while OPEC expects the call on its crude to remain above 30 million b/d in the second half of this year, it is forecasting a plunge of nearly 1.8 million b/d between the fourth and first quarter of next year, to 28.39 million b/d.
