BHP not commenting on report of iron ore suspension

Published: 03 Aug 2009 22:41:55 PST

KALGOORLIE, Australia, Aug 4 - Iron ore miners BHP Billiton <BHP.AX> <BLT.L> and Rio Tinto <RIO.AX> <RIO.L> declined to comment on Tuesday on a media report that talks over iron-ore prices with Chinese steel-mill customers had been suspended. Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton, the world's second and third largest makers of the steel-making commodity respectively, have been locked in tense, prolonged price negotitions over contract prices for iron ore shipments to China, without any clear result.

Earlier on Tuesday, the China News Service said the China Iron and Steel Association had suspended benchmark price negotiations with global miners because the spot market price had been "seriously distorted".