Iraq’s national oil company will develop the country’s giant West Qurna field and decide which foreign companies to work with, the country’s oil minister said today, after meeting with the top executive from the Russian oil giant seeking to resume its work at the field.

The Russian government has officially asked Iraq to reconsider its decision to cancel a contract with LUKoil, which was signed in 1997, to develop one of Iraq's biggest oil fields, West Qurna-2, Interfax reported.