Iraq Opens Oil, Gas Fields to Foreigners

Updated from 4:08 a.m. EDT

By Sinan Salaheddin

BAGHDAD -- Iraq opened up some of its massive oil and gas fields to foreign companies on Tuesday, kicking off a landmark licensing round it hopes will help fuel its postwar reconstruction efforts.

In a televised ceremony, international oil companies were invited to submit bids for six oil and two gas fields, a process that marked their return to the country over 30 years after Saddam Hussein nationalized the oil sector and expelled the foreign firms. ...