AMSTERDAM -(Dow Jones)- ASM International NV's (ASM.AE) founder and major shareholder Arthur Del Prado has dropped his opposition to splitting the company into two separate entities, reports Dutch daily newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad Wednesday. According to the report, Del Prado said Tuesday, after the annual shareholders' meeting of the company that makes equipment to produce computer chips, that both the front-end and back-end activities must be able to stand on their own feet. The report says Del Prado has fiercely opposed the moves of private equity firm holders who tried to break-up ASMI. The firms were aiming to unlock hidden value from the majority stake that ASMI has in ASM Pacific Technology (0522.HK), which is worth more than ASMI itself. At 0805 GMT, ASMI shares were up 6.7% at EUR29.88, while Amsterdam's Midcap shares index was down 0.6%. -By Robert van den Oever; Dow Jones Newswires; +31205715201; robert.vandenoever@dowjones.com
