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More than 70 international firms have registered to compete for tenders to help develop Iraq's oil reserves, the world's third largest, the country's oil ministry said.
Big oil firms such as Royal Dutch Shell and Total have been positioning themselves for years to gain access.
"We are going to carefully study and check the documentation.
"Next month we will declare the companies which are permitted to work in the Iraqi oil fields," Oil Ministry spokesman Asim Jihad said.
Iraq produces about 2.3 million barrels of oil a day, a fraction of its 115 billion barrels of proven crude oil reserves, surpassed only by Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Some oil companies have already signed deals with the largely autonomous northern Kurdistan region.
This move has angered the Government in Baghdad, which has responded by threatening to declare the deals illegal.
Firms from Europe, Asia and America are among those that have registered to bid, Jihad said.
- REUTERS
