RIO DE JANEIRO, May 26 (Reuters) - Brazil's Petrobras
wants to review Braskem's ( BAK ) shareholders
agreement for possible changes to allow it more say in the
petrochemical firm's decisions, three sources close to the
matter at the state-run oil firm told Reuters.
Petrobras has a 47% voting stake in the petrochemical
company but has appointed four of 11 board members and one
director out of seven, numbers it considers small, according to
the sources.
Last week, Braskem's ( BAK ) majority stakeholder Novonor received a
non-binding proposal from a fund owned by businessman Nelson
Tanure to acquire control of the largest petrochemical company
in Latin America.
Novonor has been trying to sell its stake in Braskem ( BAK ) for
years, but has repeatedly failed to reach a deal.
Petrobras' objective would be to obtain a new agreement akin
to the one it got in Eletrobras, where it increased the number
of seats it appoints to the board of the former state-run firm,
expanding its influence.
In the event of a sale, Petrobras has preference rights to
buy Novonor's stake, but the sources said Petrobras has no
interest in increasing its voting share.
Petrobras wants instead to have a more active voice in the
management and operations of the petrochemical company,
regardless of who is the controlling partner, said the sources.
On Monday, Petrobras CEO Magda Chambriard said Tanure's
proposal is a move in the right direction.
"Whatever solution that works out will have Petrobras'
support," said Chambriard.
Braskem ( BAK ) and Petrobras did not immediately respond to
requests for comment.