51.   GNA quoted Omani oil marketing director, Rashid al-Barwani, as saying the recent improvement in oil prices was due to higher seasonal demand.

52.   Analysts expect oil prices to remain strong until the end of the year because of high seasonal demand in the last quarter.

53.   Bankers said Qatar forecast higher revenues because of expectations oil prices would remain relatively firm despite a recent slide caused by slackening seasonal demand.

54.   Experts said they expected oil prices to remain firm until the end of the year because of strong seasonal demand in the last quarter.

55.   Experts said oil prices could lose more in the second and third quarters due to weak seasonal demand.

56.   They added that only if the metal showed good seasonal demand now with the end of the summer, would they take a more bullish view.

57.   The increase was mainly due to lower US stockpiles and higher seasonal demand in the northern hemisphere.