Bloomberg reported that European Union regulators has asked BHP Billiton Limited for more information about its USD 138.2 billion bid to acquire Rio Tinto Group and put their review of the proposed hostile takeover on hold.

The European Commission will resume its investigation after the Brussels based agency receives the data. The information request was made on August 13th 2008 and the review was suspended 12 days later.

Mr Ruban Yogarajah spokesman of BHP said that it is confident that it will meet the preconditions of the offer and it's working toward satisfying the commission's information request.

Mr Michael Rawlinson head of mining, resources & energy at Liberum Capital Limited said that "This can't be positive for BHP. The EU has obviously asked for information that can't be provided quickly and the fact that they are failing to understand BHP's arguments at this stage in the process does not bode well.''

The commission, the 27 nation EU's antitrust authority, began an in depth probe of the deal in July 2008, saying that it had serious doubts over a combination that would control more than a third of the world's iron-ore production. BHP would also become the biggest producer of copper, aluminum, and coal burned by power stations.

BHP is already the world's biggest mining company. Buying Rio would raise annual pretax earnings to USD 40 billion and make the company one of the 5 largest in the world ranked by market value.