BAGHDAD, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Up to 41 foreign oil firms are now qualified to participate in Iraq's coming licensing round for oil and gas contracts, the Iraqi oil ministry said on Sunday.

    Six more state-owned oil companies are added to 35 companies qualified in mid April to won rights to bid tenders to develop oil and gas fields in Iraq, a source of the oil ministry media office told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

    "The new oil firms are from Algeria, Angola, Pakistan, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam," the source added.

    In April, Iraq qualified 35 companies out of 120 applicants around the world. The qualification was in accordance to criteria put by the Iraqi Oil Ministry.

    The ministry will sign deals with the qualified oil companies to bid for oil and gas service contracts in all Iraq's regions soon, the source said.

    Early in January, Iraqi oil ministry asked international oil companies to register with the newly set-up Contracts and Licensing Office of the ministry and set Feb. 18 the deadline for receiving registration documentation.

    Only qualified firms can bid for tenders to develop Iraq's vast oil reserves, the ministry said.

    Iraq oil reserve is reportedly to be the world's third-largest, which needs billions of dollars investment to overhaul its oil industry infrastructure and increase oil and gas output after 13 years of sanctions and war.