Glencore eyes finish line in Xstrata deal

Shareholders in miner Xstrata are expected to give the green light on Tuesday to a long-awaited $31-billion takeover by commodities giant Glencore, paving the way for one of the largest tie-ups in the sector to date. After nine months of tense negotiations, late-night talks and last-minute twists, the deal to create a mining and trading powerhouse is within Glencore's grasp - a personal victory for its biggest shareholder, key dealmaker and chief executive, Ivan Glasenberg, who will also lead the combined group.

The deal has been dragged back from the brink of collapse on more than one occasion since it was first proposed in February - most recently in September, when Glencore was forced to improve its offer to woo Xstrata's second-largest shareholder, Qatar.

Qatar said last week it would support the offer, increasing the chances the tie-up could be all but certain before the end of this week. That is, if a positive outcome at Tuesday's Swiss shareholder meetings is followed by approval from Europe's antitrust regulators, due to give their verdict by Thursday.

Though an unusually complex voting structure means a positive outcome on Tuesday is not guaranteed, analysts say the key question mark will be over a separate vote on a golden handcuffs retention plan for Xstrata managers; championed by the board, it is deeply unpopular with Xstrata shareholders.

I think they'll get the deal done. I don't see a reason why not, as Qatar has said 'yes', said analyst Nik Stanojevic at stockbroker Brewin Dolphin. But he added there was certainly a chance the retention plan would not get shareholder approval.

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A strong vote against the 140-million-pound ($223-million)plan would be an embarrassing blow for Xstrata's board, its outgoing chief executive, mining veteran Mick Davis, and for its chairman, John Bond, formerly of Vodafone and HSBC.

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