Oil prices dip as Saudi Arabia dampens prospects of output freeze

International benchmark Brent crude oil prices LCOc1 were trading at $49.55 per barrel at 2114 ET, down 12 cents from their previous close.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 was down 7 cents at $47.26 a barrel.

Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih told Reuters late on Thursday that "we don't believe any significant intervention in the market is necessary other than to allow the forces of supply and demand to do the work for us," adding that the "market is moving in the right direction" already.

Members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) will meet on the sidelines of the International Energy Forum (IEF), which groups producers and consumers, in Algeria from Sept. 26-28.

The minister's comments put a dampener on expectations of a meaningful intervention into the market which has been dogged by oversupply for more than two years.