It has been reported in a Belgian newspaper that Mr LN Mittal said he hoped to close Mittal Steel’s purchase of Arcelor "well before" the end of the second quarter. In an interview published in dailies including La Libre Belgique on 8 February 2006, Mr Mittal said he had yet to receive an invitation from Arcelor to talk about his bid. Mr Mittal also said he saw no reason to raise his bid for Arcelor, which stands at about USD 24 billion.
