Busch family member urges Anheuser board to negotiate

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Anheuser-Busch Cos BUD.N board of directors has a duty to begin negotiating with its suitor InBev INTB.BR to bring about a deal and benefit shareholders, a Busch family member said on Friday.

Adolphus A. Busch IV, an uncle of Chief Executive August Busch IV, sent a letter to the brewer's board, in which he said InBev's $46.3 billion (23.4 billion pound) takeover offer provided opportunity for Anheuser brands, which include Budweiser, to compete globally.

Busch, who is an Anheuser shareholder, said he realizes now that "it is really not a choice at all" between shareholder value and family legacy, indicating that InBev's $65-per-share bid offered both.

(Reporting by Martinne Geller; editing by Carol Bishopric)