NLB was responding to a statement issued by the Mercator Management Board earlier in the day that it was suspending negotiations with Agrokor because it was acting alone rather than in a consortium with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and One Equity Partners as previously announced.

Agrokor submitted a non-binding bid for 52.10% of Mercator's shares owned by the consortium of sellers.

Attached to Agrokor's bid are letters of support from the EBRD, the IFC and One Equity Partners which are ready to finance the purchase and indirectly enter into the ownership of Mercator provided that due diligence is successful, NLB said.

NLB and the Pivovarna Lasko brewery are the biggest shareholders in the consortium of sellers. NLB said that negotiations between the shareholders and Agrokor would continue as soon as the Mercator Management Board allowed the prospective buyer access to necessary data for it to submit a binding bid.

The structure of the transaction and the manner of purchase is a matter of negotiation between the buyer, the sellers and Mercator's management, NLB said, adding that negotiations had not begun yet because the Mercator Management Board was not ready.

A consultant to the Mercator Management Board told a press conference in the afternoon that it was not true that Mercator was sabotaging the negotiations.

On the contrary, it is ready to take active part in negotiations provided that the EBRD and the IFC, or either of the two institutions, participate in them along with Agrokor, Cvetka Selsek said.

Mercator wants to have the EBRD and the IFC among its future owners for the sake of ownership stability, neutrality and security, she added.

Selsek said that by December 5 at the latest Mercator would make public information on its loans and the real estate it owns, which property would be reappraised at the beginning of next year.