Qatar in Eur400 mln stake talks with Monaco group

PARIS, July 6 (Reuters) - A unit of the Qatar Investment Authority, the sovereign wealth fund, offered on Sunday to buy the entire floating stock of Monaco casino and hotel group Societe des Bains de Mer (BAIN.PA: Quote, Profile, Research) for 400 million euros ($627.9 million).

Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company, a unit of the QIA, said in a statement it wished to become a "strategic investor" in the leisure group and had agreed to offer 725 euros a share to acquire up to 30.4 percent of its share capital.

The proposed offer would value the Monaco group at 1.3 billion euros and represent a 31 percent premium to the closing share price on Friday.

The Qatar fund said the Monaco Principality intended to hold on to its "entire stake" in the leisure group of 69.6 percent.

"The intentions of Qatari Diar have been favourably received by the Monaco Principality," the Qatar fund said in a statement.

QIA, which has been one of the most aggressive sovereign wealth funds in recent years, already owns 2.45 percent of Societe des Bains de Mer through its Qatari real estate unit. (Reporting by Astrid Wendlandt; Editing by Leslie Adler)