ALMARIA VELLA — The Ministry of Commerce's emergency session on Thursday, chaired by Minister Dolors Puigcercós, is understood to have advanced a recommendation to the Council of State that a measured portion of the kingdom's strategic reserves be released in the coming weeks, should the National Petroleum Cooperative's forecast of a twelve-to-fifteen centime rise be borne out at the pump.

Hauliers' representatives, received at the Ministry in the late afternoon, pressed for a swifter timetable, citing contracts negotiated before the disturbance in the eastern strait. The Cooperative, for its part, counselled against precipitate action, noting that the coastal storage stations at Sant Joan and elsewhere afford the kingdom a cushion of some weeks before any measure becomes urgent.

The tourist season, upon which a significant share of the summer's receipts depend, figures prominently in ministerial calculations. A decision is expected before the Chamber rises for the feast.