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Regime is ready to «share» 15-20% of «Belaruskali»

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Regime is ready to «share» 15-20% of «Belaruskali»

The Belarusian government will bargain hard with those who want to acquire a controlling stake in potash giant AAT Belaruskali.

Aliaksandr Lukashenka said about it on Monday while meeting with students and professors of Belarusian State Economic University.

The price of Belaruskali has been set, and all “westerners” now acknowledge that the Belarusian president's estimate of its value was right, Lukashenka said, according to the presidential press office.

“Fifteen billion dollars was offered for the privatization of the company, but I said $32 billion,” he said.

“Today they are already saying that the market will recover and [Belarus could sell Belaruskali] for $36 billion. If someone wants to buy 10, 15 or 20 percent [in the company] for this money today, you're welcome, we're ready to sell. However, we'll bargain hard over the controlling stake.”

That is, the buyer will have to pay good money for Belaruskali, Lukashenka stressed, adding that the company did not belong to him and could not sell it for $15 billion and pocket $5 billion or share it with someone else.

Lukashenka revealed on October 16 that he had been offered a $5-billion bribe for selling Belaruskali to a Russian oligarch for $10 billion.

He announced in June 2011 that Belaruskali could be sold to an investor ready to pay $30 billion. He said that there were “a couple of buyers” ready to pay this price, and that it would rise as the US dollar depreciated.

Lukashenka claimed in late September that Russia's Sberbank agreed with the Belarusian government's estimate that Belaruskali is worth $30 billion.

In July 2012, Lukashenka promised to Belaruskali's employees that he would not sell a majority stake in the company.

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