FROM finance.yahoo.com: NEW YORK, Jan. 13, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mercer International Inc. (Nasdaq:MERC - News) (TSX:MRI.U - News) today announced that its 74.9% owned subsidiary, Zellstoff Stendal GmbH, has obtained a waiver of the permitted leverage ratio of total debt to EBITDA under its loan facility for the year ended December 31, 2009.

Mr. Jimmy S.H. Lee, President and Chairman, stated: "We are very pleased with receipt of this waiver and the support from our lenders who continue to demonstrate their confidence in the Stendal mills long-term performance."

Mercer International Inc. is a global pulp manufacturing company. To obtain further information on the company, please visit its web site at http://www.mercerint.com.

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The preceding includes forward looking statements which involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may cause our actual results in future periods to differ materially from forecasted results. Among those factors which could cause actual results to differ materially are the following: the continuing effects of the recent economic and financial turmoil, the highly cyclical nature of our business, raw material costs, our level of indebtedness, competition, foreign exchange and interest rate fluctuations, our use of derivatives, expenditures for capital projects, environmental regulation and compliance, disruptions to our production, market conditions and other risk factors listed from time to time in our SEC reports.