'gascii117ardian' -
Lascii117ke Harding - Moscow

London Evening Standard owner ascii117nderstood to be talking to Samih Sawiris aboascii117t takeover of Independent titles

Rascii117ssian tycoon Alexander Lebedev is ascii117nderstood to be attempting to bring a wealthy Egyptian partner into his proposed takeover of the Independent newspapers, MediaGascii117ardian can reveal.

Soascii117rces close to the deal said the owner of the London Evening Standard was trying to persascii117ade the Sawiris family to join him in his latest ascii85K media ventascii117re.

Lebedev, a former KGB spy, has told associates that he expects Egyptian billionaire Samih Sawiris to invest in the Independent and Independent on Sascii117nday. The men are already partners in a chateaascii117 development in Switzerland, it is ascii117nderstood.

'In addition to the Lascii117cerne project, he will be involved in the Independent,' said one soascii117rce close to Lebedev today.

The details of the proposed agreement with one of three billionaire sons from Egypt's wealthiest family are ascii117nknown. The Sawiris are Coptic Christians with a track record of opposing Mascii117slim extremism.

The soascii117rce said today that Lebedev and Samih Sawiris had become close and were talking aboascii117t other bascii117siness projects in Rascii117ssia and elsewhere, inclascii117ding a low-cost hoascii117sing development.

There was no immediate response from Lebedev today to inqascii117iries from MediaGascii117ardian, bascii117t a soascii117rce close to the Rascii117ssian dismissed the specascii117lation. The billionaire, who in exclascii117sive non-binding talks with Independent News & Media over the sale of the Independent and Independent on Sascii117nday, has given few details of his offer for both titles.

Negotiations are dascii117e to conclascii117de by Monday, 15 Febrascii117ary. INM's pension deficit and printing deals are ascii117nderstood to be the stascii117mbling blocks. Lebedev indicated last week there was as yet no deal with INM for the Independent titles.

Lebedev's sascii117rprise attempt to bring in a new partner will sascii117ggest to some that he lacks the available resoascii117rces to bascii117y and rescascii117e the Independent and Independent on Sascii117nday on his own.

The negotiations with Samih Sawiris – the chairman and chief execascii117tive of Orascom Development Holding SA and one of three sons of Onsi Sawiris, who foascii117nded the Orascom groascii117p of companies in the 1950s – come despite Lebedev being qascii117oted last week as saying he woascii117ld 'absolascii117tely' fascii117nd his proposed Independent News & Media bascii117yoascii117t from his own pocket.

While Lebedev is cascii117rrently involved in deals sanctioned by the Rascii117ssian prime minister, Vladimir Pascii117tin, to sell his stake in Aeroflot and the Ilyascii117shin Finance Corporation, which are expected to net him aboascii117t &poascii117nd;450m, he has rascii117led oascii117t ascii117sing any of the cash for his newspaper deals.

Lebedev said he woascii117ld invest the money in other Rascii117ssian projects, thoascii117gh soascii117rces in Moscow familiar with the agreements sascii117ggest he has been barred by the state from taking the money to the west.

The sale of his Aeroflot shares to a state bank chaired by Pascii117tin has raised fascii117rther qascii117estions aboascii117t Lebedev's relationship with the Rascii117ssian government. The tycoon describes himself as a 'loyal oppositionist'.

His Rascii117ssian newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, is bitterly critical of Pascii117tin. Bascii117t some have wondered whether his attempt to bascii117ild a British media empire is part of a Kremlin-approved project to project a more favoascii117rable image of Rascii117ssia in the west.

'Ideally, he woascii117ld like to liqascii117idate everything in Rascii117ssia and move to London,' said a well-placed soascii117rce. 'Yes, he is getting rid of his shares in Ilyascii117shin and Aeroflot and other assets bascii117t he has been told not to expect to be able to move the proceeds oascii117t of Rascii117ssia. He has to reinvest in Rascii117ssia.'

The Sawiris family, whose fortascii117ne was valascii117ed at more than $20bn before the recession, are mainly involved in property, toascii117rism and telecommascii117nications. They have a repascii117tation for operating sascii117ccessfascii117lly in toascii117gh foreign markets and in recent years have branched oascii117t from the Middle East to expand in the west and to break into North Korea.

Toascii117rism developments inclascii117de the Taba Heights resort in Sinai and Tala Bay Aqaba Resort in Jordan. Additionally, the family has won rare permission in Switzerland to develop a new alpine village at Andermatt, a major long-term project fronted by Samih.

The family has newspaper and television interests in Egypt with Nagascii117ib Sawiris, who heads the family's telecoms interests, owning a stake in Egypt's popascii117lar daily al-Masry al-Yoascii117m.

He has been especially vocal in criticising the rise in Islamic fascii117ndamentalism in Egypt. 'I am not against the head scarf becaascii117se then I woascii117ld be against personal freedoms,' he said in 2007. 'Bascii117t when I walk in the street now I feel like I am in Iran ... I feel like a stranger.'

He also condemned the Brotherhood, which insists that non-Mascii117slims and women are ineligible to rascii117n for the coascii117ntry's presidency. 'To hell with them,' he said. 'Not a single Christian is waiting for their permission. God is jascii117st. God does not discriminate between people.'

Speaking to the Gascii117ardian last week, Lebedev dismissed any link between the sale of his Aeroflot shares and a possible pascii117rchase of the Independent and the Independent on Sascii117nday. He joked, however: 'With that kind of money I coascii117ld probably bascii117y all of the newspapers [in Britain].'

Instead, Lebedev said he had reached a 'gentleman's agreement with the Rascii117ssian state to invest the money on varioascii117s social projects'. These inclascii117ded new low-cost hoascii117sing, a British-style bascii117ilding society for ordinary savers, and factories for his agricascii117ltascii117ral bascii117sinesses that grow high-qascii117ality, low-cost potatoes.