ULAN BATOR, Mongolia - Mongolian Prime Minister Batbold Sukhbaatar said he wants to keep full ownership of a key coal asset in government hands, potentially restricting access to a source that had drawn strong interest from Western mining companies.

Speaking to reporters at the first Mongolia Economic Forum, Mr. Batbold said he favors keeping Tavan Tolgoi, a huge coking-coal deposit, under full government ownership. Ownership of key deposits other than Tavan Tolgoi would be decided on a "case-by-case basis," he said.