RE: Now that wans't so hard - was it? Actually, the 90 days starts from the day it was first published in the Gazette, which puts us at Mid December.
Just a guess on my part, but I think the likelihood of a deal is very high. Why? Based on news stories, Rusoro seems to be willing to settle on the basis that was used in the oil industry Book Value + a small premium for the 55% they are giving up. For being a good sport, my gut feeling is that Venezuela will allow 100% to be sold at world prices (in real currency) to their own Central Bank – probably the reason why the Royalty tax has been raised to 13% (again, just a guess on my part). And I think Venezuela has an interest in such a deal. They can use a deal with Rusoro as a tool for a settlement talks with Crystallex (book + small premium). By Mid December, Crystallex’s options are running out – and why wouldn’t they go for an offer like that if they’ve run out of cash? People will argue that Crystallex has more to gain in international arbitration. But arbitration isn’t a certainty, financing options seem to be limited – and Crystallex has already demonstrated they are willing to accept a lot less when they signed that deal with China Railway – and they were ready to simply hand over 2/3 of the Gold Deposit.