Big and medium-sized oil companies have fixed their gaze on Iraq , as the barbarized nation examines the bids of dozens of oil companies for the easy-to-harness gas, oil and light oil of Iraq’s six biggest oilfields and two gas fields.

With reports of squabbling over whether producing fields should be up for grabs, a news conference Tuesday on the winning bids was reportedly postponed.

But disagreement could cause further delay, and some even argue for the dropping of gas fields from the licensing round in order to make quick gains on cheaper plant.

Iraq’s governors hope to raise their output to four million barrels per day from the current 2.4 MM bpd. To do this by 2013, the redevelopment and expansion of already producing fields was to be the focus.

“Government development programs are in dire need of substantial funding,” a statement from some of the country’s administrators said. Iraqies expect to boost the 95 percent of public finances that comes from hydrocarbons.

Adding to confusion over field licensing, the Kurdish regional government of Nothern Iraq has already signed deals with oil companies. Baghdad “hasn’t seen those deals”, a statement said.

Iraq’s 115 billion barrels are the world’s second or third largest oil reserves. Insurgents, meanwhile, are still fuelled by a notion the United States and Britain's coaltion of the willing went to war to exploit those reserves or keep them out of markets.

Success licensing oilfield projects has been looked to by many to counter the catastrophic half-decade of bloodletting as militia battled militia and those they see as the country's occupiers