Saudi Aramcos potential acquisition of a stake in Saudi petrochemicals maker SABIC would affect the time frame of its own planned initial public offering, Aramcos chief executive Amin Nasser said Friday. He said that Aramco was in "very early-stage discussions" with the kingdoms Public Investment Fund (PIF) to acquire the stake in SABIC in a private transaction. Usually, at such a stage there is no certainty that any such transaction will take place, Nasser told Al Arabiya television. Nasser said that Aramco is ready to list but that the timing is up to the government to decide. Part of Aramco’s long-term strategy is to turn 2-3 million barrels of oil production into petrochemicals to diversify its sources of income, he told Al Arabiya. The petrochemicals industry is growing at a rate of 3 percent, faster than the growth rate of the world economy, Nasser said. He expected a much larger growth for the industry in the coming years.