A new proposal for an agreement was presented by the mining companies to the federal government and the states of Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo, two sources close to the negotiations told Reuters, without giving any figures.
One of the sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that compared with the previous proposal of 42 billion reais ($8.16 billion), the amount had “improved a lot,” but still “falls short” of what was expected.
Neither Vale, BHP nor Samarco have confirmed they presented a new proposal.
In separate statements, the companies said they are committed in finding a solution for the reparations.
($1 = 5.1471 reais)
(By Marta Nogueira, Ricardo Brito and Steven Grattan; Editing by Leslie Adler)