Arcelor Mittal Announces the Early Redemption of its OCEANEs and Reiterates Merger Terms
November 14 2006 - 1:47AM
PR Newswire (US)
ROTTERDAM, The Netherlands, November 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
Arcelor SA announces today the early redemption of Arcelor's 3%
2017 bonds convertible and/or exchangeable into new and/or existing
Arcelor shares (the "OCEANE") since the number of outstanding
OCEANEs is less than 10% of the original number of OCEANEs issued.
This early redemption will be completed on December 15, 2006 in
accordance with the terms and conditions of the OCEANEs set forth
in the prospectus approved by the Luxembourg Commission de
Surveillance du Secteur Financier on June 28, 2002, at a price in
cash equal to the principal amount of the OCEANEs plus the interest
amounting to Euros 0.27055 per OCEANE remaining to be paid between
the last interest payment date and the actual early redemption date
of December 15, 2006. Further to questions raised by investors
relating to the merger of Mittal Steel Company N.V. (Arcelor
Mittal) into Arcelor S.A., Arcelor Mittal reiterates the fact it
will make its best efforts to complete the merger by June 2007.
Such timing is subject to a number of administrative actions, such
as the effectiveness of a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
registration statement (including SEC-compliant financial
statements related to Arcelor and the Mittal Steel-Arcelor
transaction) with respect to the merger. The share for share merger
exchange ratio has not yet been fixed and will only be finally set
in the course of the implementation of the merger process, in
accordance with applicable laws. As publicly disclosed in the
course of the offer, the merger exchange ratio will be consistent
with the value of Arcelor shares pursuant to the secondary exchange
offer as at the date of its settlement and delivery on August 1,
2006. The merger exchange ratio will have to be reviewed and
validated by independent auditors as required by Dutch and
Luxembourg laws, considering its fairness to both Mittal Steel
Company N.V.'s (Arcelor Mittal) and Arcelor S.A.'s shareholders,
and approved by the shareholders and will take into account a
number of factors, including, without limitation, possible
corporate reorganizations and the financial statements of Mittal
Steel Company N.V. and Arcelor S.A. for the most recent periods.
Forward Looking Statements This document may contain
forward-looking information and statements about Mittal Steel
Company N.V. including Arcelor S.A. Forward-looking statements may
be identified by the words "believe," "expect," "anticipate,"
"target" or similar expressions. Although Arcelor Mittal's
management believes that the expectations reflected in such
forward-looking statements are reasonable, investors and holders of
Mittal Steel's securities are cautioned that forward-looking
information and statements are subject to numerous risks and
uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and generally
beyond the control of Mittal Steel and Arcelor, that could cause
actual results and developments to differ materially and adversely
from those expressed in, or implied or projected by, the
forward-looking information and statements. These risks and
uncertainties include those discussed or identified in the filings
with the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets and the
Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") made or to be made by
Mittal Steel, including (in the latter case) on Form 20-F. Mittal
Steel undertakes no obligation to publicly update its
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events, or otherwise. About Arcelor Mittal Arcelor Mittal is
the world's number one steel company, with 320,000 employees in
more than 60 countries. The company, which will be incorporated in
2007 following the successful tender offer, brings together the
world's number one and number two steel companies, Arcelor and
Mittal Steel. Arcelor Mittal is the leader in all major global
markets, including automotive, construction, household appliances
and packaging, with leading R&D and technology, as well as
sizeable captive supplies of raw materials and outstanding
distribution networks. An industrial presence in 27 European,
Asian, African and American countries exposes the company to all
the key steel markets, from emerging to mature, positions it will
be looking to develop in the high-growth Chinese and Indian
markets. Arcelor Mittal key pro forma financials for the first six
months of 2006 show combined revenues of EUR43,281 billion, with
approximate production capacity of 130 million tonnes a year,
representing around 10 per cent of world steel output. The company
respects the highest standards in corporate social responsibility
and intends to periodically publish significant sustainable
development key performance indicators to live up to this ambition.
DATASOURCE: Arcelor Mittal CONTACT: Contact at Arcelor Mittal's
Investor Relations: Continental Europe, +352-4792-2414;
UK/Asia/Africa, +44-207-543-1172; Americas, +1-312-899-3569;
Retail, +352-4792-2434; SRI, +352-4792-2902. Contact at Arcelor
Mittal's Communication, Nicola Davidson, +44-207-543-1162/1172, Luc
Scheer, +352-4792-2360. UK media: Maitland Consultancy, Philip
Gawith, +44-207-379-5151, Lydia Pretzlik, +44-207-379-5151. French
media: Image 7, Tiphaine Hecketsweiler, +33-1-5370-7470
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