A group of Western oil companies signed an agreement with the Kazakhstan government resolving a long-running dispute over one of the world's largest oil fields. For months, the Kashagan field in the Caspian Sea has been the focus of a standoff between the Kazakh authorities and a group of companies led by ENI SpA of Italy. Kashagan was the biggest oil find in 30 years when it was discovered in 2000. But the field development has been plagued by delays and cost overruns. The Kazakh authorities approved Friday the revised Kashagan development plan, the details of which were hammered out over the summer. Under the deal, the Kazakh state giant KazMunaiGaz will double its stake and ENI will lose its status as sole operator, sharing responsibilities with its partners in the consortium developing the field. Production will start in late 2012, seven years later than first planned, with output rising to 1.5 million barrels a day by the end of the next decade. That will make Kashagan the world's most productive oil field after Ghawar in Saudi Arabia. "This is a logical solution," said Paolo Scaroni, ENI's chief executive, in an interview from the Kazakh capital, Astana. "I'm feeling at ease with it." Also on Friday, ENI said third-quarter net profit jumped 37% on the back of rising oil prices and higher production. The company earned