Abu Dhabi fund not part of Zain sale talks -report

ABU DHABI, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) is not involved in talks to buy a 46 percent stake in Kuwaiti telecom firm Zain (ZAIN.KW), an Arabic language daily said on Tuesday, contradicting previous media reports.

Unidentified sources told Al Ittihad newspaper that ADIA had showed no interest in buying a stake.

Kuwaiti newspaper reports said on Monday the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund was part of a group in discussions to buy a stake in the telecoms operator.

Kuwaiti family business the Kharafi Group and other investors are preparing to sell a stake in Zain in a deal valued at $13.7 billion. [ID:nL7603511]

Zain's biggest shareholders are Kuwait's sovereign wealth fund the Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) and Kharafi.

ADIA declined to comment.

(Reporting by Tamara Walid and Stanley Carvalho; editing by John Stonestreet)