SYDNEY - Western Australia state has raised the stakes in its demand for higher royalties from iron ore miners Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton, telling them that it would not rubber-stamp their planned iron ore merger.
Western Australia Premier Colin Barnett told the chiefs of both firms in a meeting this week he wanted to double their royalties to put them on par with other miners in the state, Australian newspapers said on Thursday.
"The major point I stressed is I want to see full royalties applied to both BHP and Rio projects," The Australian quoted Barnett as telling reporters on Wednesday, a day after meeting the Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton chief executives.
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