{"page":"\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/resources-c03aa079.css\" /\u003e\n\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/lp_boclips_stylesheets-517835be.css\" media=\"all\" /\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-title='WRAP Iraqi govt opens 6 oil fields for bidding from intl firms, Oil Min presser' data-url='/boclips/videos/5c54c182d8eafeecae152b4c' data-video-url='/boclips/videos/5c54c182d8eafeecae152b4c' id='bo_player_modal'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='boclips-resource-page modal-dialog panel-container'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='react-notifications-root'\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-header'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-type'\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fai fa-regular fa-circle-play'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\nVideo\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch1 class='rp-title' id='video-title'\u003e\nWRAP Iraqi govt opens 6 oil fields for bidding from intl firms, Oil Min presser\n\u003c/h1\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-actions'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='mr-1'\u003e\n\u003ca class=\"btn btn-success\" data-posthog-event=\"Signup: LP Signup Activity\" data-posthog-location=\"body_link_boclips\" data-remote=\"true\" href=\"/subscription/new\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGet Free Access\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e for 10 Days\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-body'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-info'\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-label='Hide resource details' class='rp-hide-info' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u0026times;\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Expand resource details' class='rp-expand-info fai fa-solid fa-up-right-and-down-left-from-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Compress resource details' class='rp-compress-info fai fa-solid fa-down-left-and-up-right-to-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-rating'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='resource-pool'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-label'\u003ePublisher:\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-name'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='text'\u003e\u003ca data-publisher-id=\"30356011\" href=\"/search?publisher_ids%5B%5D=30356011\"\u003eCurated Video\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-description'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='short-description'\u003eBaghdad - June 30, 2008 1. Wide of Iraq's Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani walking towards podium at start of news conference 2. Mid of al-Shahristani speaking3. Reporters 4. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Hussein al-Shahristani, Iraqi Oil...\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='full-description hide'\u003eBaghdad - June 30, 2008 \u003cbr/\u003e1. Wide of Iraq's Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani walking towards podium at start of news conference \u003cbr/\u003e2. Mid of al-Shahristani speaking\u003cbr/\u003e3. Reporters \u003cbr/\u003e4. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Hussein al-Shahristani, Iraqi Oil Minister  \u003cbr/\u003e\"The oilfields opened for bidding are Rumeila with its two northern and southern parts; Zubair; Qurna West; the Maysan fields, namely Bazargan, Abu Garb and al-Faka which are close to each other; Kirkuk and Bay Hassan. These are six oilfields, in addition to the two natural gasfields of Akkaz and Mansouriyah.\"\u003cbr/\u003e5. Cutaway wide of news conference\u003cbr/\u003e6. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Hussein al-Shahristani, Iraqi Oil Minister \u003cbr/\u003e\"The total number of companies that presented their demands for qualification were 120 companies, and out of those, 35 companies qualified for bidding, including several major companies of various nationalities. These companies will be invited to develop these fields.\"\u003cbr/\u003e7. Cutaway\u003cbr/\u003e8. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Hussein al-Shahristani, Iraqi Oil Minister \u003cbr/\u003e\"We hope, through the first stage of biddings, that Iraq's oil production will raise by 1.5 million barrels per day, in addition to the current production which is about 2.5 million barrels per day (bpd). Thus, the Ministry is endeavouring to increase production by 4.5 bpd in the next five years.\"\u003cbr/\u003e9. News conference ending\u003cbr/\u003eFILE: Dora oil refinery, Southern Baghdad - unknown date\u003cbr/\u003e10. Various exteriors of Dora oil refinery \u003cbr/\u003eFILE: Basra - unknown date\u003cbr/\u003e11. Various exteriors of oil pumping station   \u003cbr/\u003eThe Iraqi government opened six oilfields to international bidding on Monday, as the nation attempts to boost daily production by 60 percent. \u003cbr/\u003eThe potential participation of big Western companies like BP, Chevron, Exxon Mobil, Shell and Total SA in Iraq's oil industry has been criticised in recent weeks, following published reports that several were close to signing no-bid contracts with the Iraqi government.\u003cbr/\u003eThose contracts were expected to be announced on Monday, but Iraqi Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani instead named 35 companies that would be qualified to bid on service contracts for the oilfields of Rumeila, Zubair, Qurna West, Maysan, Kirkuk and Bay Hassan. \u003cbr/\u003e\"We hope, through the first stage of biddings, that Iraq's oil production will raise by 1.5 million barrels per day, in addition to the current production which is about 2.5 million barrels per day (bpd),\" said al-Shahristani.\u003cbr/\u003e\"The Ministry is endeavouring to increase production by 4.5 bpd in the next five years,\" he added.\u003cbr/\u003eAll of the fields are currently producing oil, and al-Shahristani said the new contracts would raise Iraq's production by 1.5 million barrels per day. \u003cbr/\u003eIraq currently produces 2.5 million barrels per day and hopes to raise that to 4.5 million by 2013.       \u003cbr/\u003eGreater oil production is key to rebuilding Iraq's devastated infrastructure and delivering energy to the country.\u003cbr/\u003eBut the lack of security and the absence of new legislation to manage the industry have hampered development of the oil industry. \u003cbr/\u003eA reduction in violence in recent months has allowed the country to boost production to its highest level since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.\u003cbr/\u003eAt the same time, record oil prices that surpassed 143 US dollars per barrel on Monday have made Iraq's vast untapped reserves even more tempting to foreign companies. \u003cbr/\u003eIraq has an estimated 115 billion barrels of oil reserves and some 112 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, according to the government.\u003cbr/\u003eEvery company involved in the bidding process must have an Iraqi partner and must give 25 percent of the value of the contract to Iraqi companies, said al-Shahristani.\u003cbr/\u003eWestern participation in Iraq's oil industry, especially by American companies, has been a contentious issue ever since U.S.-led forces toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein. \u003cbr/\u003eMany Arabs believe the U.S. went to war to seize Iraq's oil, an allegation that has been repeatedly denied by Washington.\u003cbr/\u003eThose concerns were reignited two weeks ago after a report in the New York Times said Royal Dutch Shell PLC, BP PLC, Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp. and French energy giant Total SA were close to signing short-term oil service contracts with Iraq on a no-bid basis.\u003cbr/\u003eThe deals, which 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