Upbeat Riyadh seen pushing for Opec quota status quo Saudi Arabia has painted a relatively rosy outlook for the global crude oil market in the second half of the year, suggesting Riyadh is likely to argue that the Opec oil cartel should keep its production steady at its meeting this week. Ali Naimi, Saudi oil minister and Opec's de facto leader, said on its arrival to Vienna on Tuesday that the current supply and demand trends were the "best environment," adding that oil demand growth was "great." The upbeat comments signal that Riyadh is likely to push to keep Opec's production target of 30m barrels a day unchanged when the group meets on Friday. Saudi Arabia, which is acting as de facto swing producer to keep oil prices stable, boosted its production in April to a five-month high of 9.35m barrels a day. The price of Brent, the global benchmark, briefly dipped below the $100-a-barrel level this year, reviving calls from some members, such as Venezuela and Iran, for production cuts. Opec accounts for about 40 per cent of the world's oil supplies, and nearly all of the world's spare production capacity, meaning its production decisions have a significant influence on the market. But prices have since recovered. Brent was trading at $104.40 a barrel on Tuesday, up $1.78 a barrel on the day. Refineries have begun to return from their seasonal spring maintenance, providing a lift to global crude demand. "We have already passed the price test for 2013 in the early part of the year," said Jamie Webster, director of research at PFC Energy, a consultancy. Greg Priddy, head of oil at consultants Eurasia, said Brent prices were within the "range preferred by the Saudis," adding: "There will be no impetus toward a consensus for a "headline" cut to Opec's group production target." Opec watchers believe Riyadh will further boost output over the next three months, before trimming it back later on in the year, repeating the pattern of late 2012 and early 2013. Last year Saudi Arabia pumped 10.1m b/d, the most in 30 years. There will be no impetus toward a consensus for a "headline" cut to Opec's group production target Greg Priddy, Eurasia "The next Saudi cut will probably come in the fourth quarter, completely independent of any Opec headline cuts," Mr Priddy said in a note to clients. In another sign that Gulf members, which include Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, are content with the state of the market, Opec has dispensed with its regular briefing of ministers. The Opec ministerial monitoring subcommittee, or MMC, is an opportunity for Opec analysts to brief ministers on the state of the market ahead of their decision on production levels. But several delegates confirmed the MMC would not take place as usual this week. "With the market as it is, there is little for ministers to talk about," one delegate said.