- The four biggest Western oil companies, Shell, BP, Exxon Mobil and Total, are set to sign agreements with the Baghdad government to provide repair and technical support in some of Iraq's largest oilfields, marking their return to Iraq for the first time since being expelled by Saddam Hussein in 1972. - The deals should increase Iraq's current daily oil production of 2.5 million barrels by 500,000 barrels. - While the agreements will help Iraq access foreign expertise, many Iraqis remain wary of long-term foreign involvement in their oil industry due to beliefs that Western interests have been focused on gaining control over Iraqi oil.