DUBAI (Zawya Dow Jones)–The economic outlook for the Middle East has weakened this year amid expectations of lower oil production in crude-exporting countries and continuing political upheaval in Syria and Egypt, the International Monetary Fund said Tuesday. Oil exporters are dealing with domestic supply disruptions and lower global demand, which has led to reduced output even as political instability puts upward pressure on prices, the IMF said in a regional economic outlook. The IMF slashed its 2013 economic growth forecast for the region, which includes the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan, to 2.3% from a May prediction of 3%. The IMF now expects the region’s oil production to fall this year for the first time since the global financial crisis because of disruptions to output in Iraq and Libya and a “modest fall” in production in Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s biggest exporters. While growth is […]