South Africa today said any merger deal between MTN and any other global telecom company would have to clear its regulatory processes.
After the Ambani brothers' truce, which disbanded the no-compete agreement, reports said Anil Ambani group firm Reliance Communications and MTN have resumed merger talks.
"We have business people keen on MTN and as long as they comply with regulatory approval it is fine," South African Minister for Trade and Industry Rob Davis said here when asked about the reports of Reliance Communications' (RCom) renewed interest in MTN.
In 2008, RCom and MTN had entered into talks for a proposed merger.
The talks were aborted after Anil Ambani's elder brother Mukesh Ambani's group firm RIL staked the first right of refusal for stake offloading in RCom.
Earlier, MTN's talks with Bharti Airtel had also fallen through because of a dual listing sought by the South African firm which is not permissible under the Indian laws.
Asked if the South African government would support any other telecom giant approaches for merger with MTN, Davis said "We have our regulatory processes. There is no reason per se why such a merger can't go ahead."
Davis is accompanying South African President Jacob G Zuma who is on a state visit to India.
"The reason why Bharti-MTN deal fell through was because of specifics of the deal and not due to any in-principle opposition from our side. Dual listing was an issue. If any such proposal comes with technical and regulatory approval, I don't see why such a deal shouldn't go through."
