ISLAMABAD - President Asif Ali Zardari has said that Pakistan offered attractive opportunities and a level-playing field to both domestic and foreign investors. He was talking to a seven-member delegation of oil exploration company, ENI from Italy, headed by its CEO Paolo Scaroni, here on Wednesday. The meeting was also attended by Dr Asim Hussain, Advisor Petroleum, Senator Waqar Ahmed Khan, Minister for Investment, Secretary Petroleum Mehmood Saleem Mehmood, Chairman BOI Saleem Mandviwalla, Spokesperson to President Farhatullah Babar and Italian Ambassador in Islamabad Vincenzo Prati besides senior officers of relevant ministries. Later, the delegation also called on Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani and discussed options for investments in Pakistan. Talking to the delegation, the President said that oil and gas met about 80 per cent of Pakistan's energy needs and as energy deficient country it offered great opportunities to oil and gas exploration companies for mutual benefit. He said that Pakistan's oil and gas sector had great potential to expand both in upstream and downstream industries. The President remarked that Pakistan was pursuing a reforms program in this vital sector based on the principles of private-public partnership, deregulation and liberalization. The President also appreciated the role of ENI as the largest player in Pakistan's oil and gas exploration sector. In his meeting with the delegation, Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani termed the energy exploration as one of the most under-explored sectors in Pakistan. He said that the demand was increasing rapidly and the government was encouraging investment to enhance production in this field. He said that the government was continuously monitoring the demand and supply situation of energy and would take every step to meet the demand of energy to maintain the momentum of growth and development. "Local as well as global companies are being encouraged to invest more in this sector and the response in this regard is encouraging,"he added. AFP adds: Italian energy group Eni said Wednesday it had signed a cooperation agreement with the Government of Pakistan to develop new oil and gas projects. Eni managing director Paolo Scaroni told a Press conference in Rome that the company, already the leading energy operator in Pakistan, had signed contracts with two "Pakistani national companies... that will use our technology to promote the country's industrial development." Eni's target is to double output in Pakistan, currently 56,000 barrels a day, in the next five to six years through the investment of 50 to 70 million dollars (38 to 54 million euros), Scaroni said. "The offshore sector in Pakistan is very promising," he said, adding that Eni employees had never faced serious security problems in the country, although access to certain tribal areas remained difficult. Eni, 37 percent owned by the Italian state, has been operating in Pakistan since 2000 at 21 sites.