Vladimir Potanin, president of Interros, has sent a proposal to Rusal chairman Viktor Vekselberg to start negotiations on buying of Norilsk Nickel shares owned by the aluminium company.

Vladimir Potanin is ready to head a pool of investors which may include on board Interros, Norilsk Nickel Pension Fund, MMC itself, as well as a number of Russian and western financial investors. In the address to Mr. Vekselberg the sum of $9 bn is presented as a market price of the above-mentioned shares.