THIRD AMENDING AGREEMENT
Exhibit 2.1
THIS THIRD AMENDING AGREEMENT made the 21st day of March, 0000
X X X X X X X:
INCO LIMITED, | ||||
a corporation existing under the laws | ||||
of Canada, | ||||
(hereinafter called the “Offeror”), | ||||
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FALCONBRIDGE LIMITED, | ||||
a corporation existing under the laws | ||||
of the Province of Ontario, | ||||
(hereinafter called the “Company”). |
WHEREAS the Offeror mailed the Offer dated October 24, 2005 to purchase all outstanding Common
Shares of the Company in accordance with Section 1.1(b) of the Support Agreement dated October 10,
2005 entered into between the Offeror and the Company, as amended by Amending Agreement dated
January 12, 2006 and Second Amending Agreement dated February 20, 2006 (as amended, the “Support
Agreement”);
AND WHEREAS the written consent of the Offeror is required for the termination by the Company
of its shareholder rights plan dated as of September 22, 2005 (the “Original Rights Plan”) and for
the adoption by the Company of a new shareholder rights plan;
AND WHEREAS the Company has terminated the Original Rights Plan and adopted a new shareholder
rights plan dated as of March 21, 2006 (the “Rights Plan”);
AND WHEREAS the Offeror has agreed to the Company’s termination of the Original Rights Plan
and adoption of the Rights Plan subject to the entering into of this Agreement;
NOW THEREFORE THIS AGREEMENT WITNESSES that, in consideration of the mutual covenants and
agreements hereinafter set forth and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and
sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged by each party, the parties hereby covenant and agree
as follows:
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1. | Amendments to the Support Agreement |
(a) | Section 1.2(d) of the Support Agreement is hereby amended by deleting the reference to “September 22, 2005” where it appears in that section and substituting therefor a reference to “March 21, 2006” and, accordingly, the first sentence of Section 1.2(d) shall now read as follows: |
“(d) The Company agrees that if the Offer is not, or ceases to
qualify as, a “Permitted Bid” under the Company’s shareholder rights plan
dated as of March 21, 2006 (the “Rights Plan”), the Company will
immediately defer the separation time of the Rights (as defined in the
Rights Plan) in respect of the Offer and to continue to defer separation
of the Rights with respect to the Offer.”
(b) | Section 1.1(d) of the Support Agreement is hereby amended by adding the following as a final sentence to Section 1.1(d): |
“For further certainty, it is also understood and agreed that the
Offeror may in its sole discretion at any time and from time to time,
modify or vary the Offer, without the prior consent of the Company, by
deleting in its entirety the last paragraph of Section 7 of the Offer to
Purchase, “Extension and Variation of the Offer”, which reads as
follows: “In circumstances where more than 50% of the then outstanding
Falconbridge Shares held by “Independent Shareholders” (as defined in
the Shareholder Rights Plan) have been validly deposited under the Offer
and not withdrawn, the Offeror may take up and pay for the deposited
Falconbridge Shares (subject to the conditions of the Offer) but will
make a public announcement of that fact and the Offer will be extended
with the result that the period during which Falconbridge Shares may be
deposited pursuant to the Offer will remain open for not less than 10
days from the date of such public announcement.””
2. | Consent |
The Offeror hereby consents to the termination of the Original Rights Plan and the adoption of
the Rights Plan.
3. | Confirmation of Support Agreement |
The Offeror and the Company hereby confirm that the Support Agreement remains in full force
and effect, unamended except as provided for in this Agreement.
4. | Counterparts |
This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to
be original and all of which taken together shall be deemed to constitute one and the same
instrument, and it shall not be necessary in making proof of this Agreement to produce more than
one counterpart.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been executed and delivered as of the date first above
written, by the duly authorized representatives of the parties hereto.
INCO LIMITED | ||||||
By: | “Xxxxx X. Hand” | |||||
Name: | Xxxxx X. Hand | |||||
Title: | Chairman and Chief Executive Officer | |||||
By: | “Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx” | |||||
Name: | Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx | |||||
Title: | Executive Vice President | |||||
FALCONBRIDGE LIMITED | ||||||
By: | “Xxxxxxx X. Xxxx” | |||||
Name: | Xxxxxxx X. Xxxx | |||||
Title: | Senior Vice President & General Counsel | |||||
By: | “Xxxxxxx Xxxxx” | |||||
Name: | Xxxxxxx Xxxxx | |||||
Title: | Secretary |