White House spokesman Scott McClellan said on Thursday that the United States is pressing the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to reverse its decision to cut oil production.    

"We remain actively engaged with both our friends and OPEC, as well as non-OPEC nations and producers around the world," McClellan told reporters.

"The administration at a very high level stays in contact, at the president's direction, to make sure that our views are known to producers around the world."

He said that the US president "certainly makes his views known when he meets with world leaders and when he talks with world leaders."

The White House said on Wednesday that President George W. Bush was disappointed at the OPEC decision to cut oil production.

Oil ministers from the 11-nation OPEC decided in Vienna to stick to a decision taken on February 10 in Algiers to reduce their daily production ceiling by 1 million barrels to 23.5 million barrels from April 1.

(Xinhua News Agency April 2, 2004)