The UAE’s Al-Habtoor Group plans to sell its stake in the construction joint venture Habtoor Leighton Group, according to reports quoting chairman Khalaf al-Habtoor.

In a television interview with Saudi Arabia’s Al-Arabiya news channel, al-Habtoor said that the company will focus on 100-per cent-owned assets, including hotels, real estate and schools.

The co-owner of the joint venture is Australia’s Cimic Group, known as Leighton Group prior to April this year.

In 2007 Leighton Group approached Egypt’s EFG-Hermes, which was appointed to evaluate Al-Habtoor, as it looked for a way to enter the Middle East market.

At the time the merger with Leighton provided Al-Habtoor with access to international management and personnel. For Leighton, Al-Habtoor provided the local connections. Prior to joing forces with Al-Habtoor, Leighton narrowly missed out on the award of the Atlantis hotel project on Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah in 2005, losing out to the local/UK Al-Naboodah Laing O’Rourke.