BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP.AU) Chief Executive Marius Kloppers said the miner's planned iron ore joint venture with Rio Tinto Ltd. (RTP) shouldn't have any impact on the setting of prices for the key steelmaking input.

"This is a production joint venture (and) doesn't influence the commercial dynamics of the market at all," he told reporters.

"I would expect that there is absolutely zero connection between what is a price discovery process on the one side and an efficiency and production effectiveness story on the other side."

Kloppers said the joint venture would be notifiable with the European Union and that BHP was applying the lessons it had learnt during its previous takeover bid for Rio Tinto in structuring the current deal.

Asked if the joint venture could be a prelude to a fresh bid for Rio, Kloppers said he was focused on the current transaction and wasn't willing to rule anything in or out in the future.

-By Alex Wilson, Dow Jones Newswires; 61-3-9292-2094; alex.wilson@dowjones.com