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Dubai Almuminium to boost sales

DUBAI: Dubai Aluminium Company (Dubal), one of the world's largest aluminium producers, expects to boost sales to $900 million in 2000, up $300 million from 1999, its chief executive was quoted on Sunday as saying.

Dubal Chief Executive Ian Rugeroni said Dubal's sales of 410,000 tonnes (including alloy) in 1999 would rise to 550,000 tonnes in 2000, UAE newspapers reported.

The papers quoted Dubal Vice Chairman Mohammed Alabbar as saying the company was considering participating in the proposed $2.5 billion Sohar smelter project in Oman. He said a final decision was expected in three months.

Omani firms W.J. Towell and National Trading Company carried out a feasibility study in the smelter. In January, a W.J. Towell official told Reuters a Chinese consortium and the government of Dubai and Abu Dhabi were being considered as partners in the project.-Reuters