dondon:

Ok! Lets play "assume" for a moment. How would such a deal be structured.

1. Strategic partnership with each of the three companies retaining its own identity?

2. Straight out acquisiton of OPTI and Connacher by Nexen?

3. Some kind of hybrid corporate structure resulting in an amalgamated entity in which each entity owns a portion of a new combined Oil Sands corporation?

4. Some other kind of organizational entity.

It would seem to me that a merger would perhaps offer the best approach as in todays limited capital availability environment, no individual entity would have to provide significant capital to acquire the others. Additonally, Nexen could spin its investment out in a holding company which does not jeoporadize the totality of Nexen.

Brian