LOS ANGELES, Feb. 26, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- John L. Hurst, President of Occidental Chemical Corporation (OxyChem), a wholly owned subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:OXY), will retire December 31, 2004 upon completion of 25 years of service. Commenting on Mr. Hurst's planned retirement, Occidental Petroleum's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Ray R. Irani, said, "Occidental has been fortunate to have an executive with Jack Hurst's broad industry knowledge and experience on our team. His contributions to our chlor-alkali and vinyls businesses are appreciated."
Mr. Hurst will relinquish his duties as President of OxyChem effective March 1, 2004, but will remain an Executive Vice President of Occidental Petroleum Corporation and will continue to provide leadership for various energy projects through the end of the year.