"We have to expect an oil price between 200 and 250 dollars per barrel," Simmons was quoted as saying on Tuesday in the January issue of the German-based Capital economic magazine. He cited an imminent shortage of oil supply and a growing global demand, especially in China and India, for the sharp rise in oil prices. Simmons who heads the American energy investment firm Simmons & Co, pointed also to a worldwide decline in conventional oil discoveries in new fields. He anticipated global oil output could drop from the current 75 million to 65 million barrels per day by 2012. PIN/IRNA