Eleven challengers for the America's Cup called on American syndicate BMW Oracle Racing to drop its legal fight against cup holder Alinghi.
Thursday's request came after a meeting of Cup contenders _ without San Francisco-based BMW Oracle _ called by Alinghi at its home yacht club in Geneva.
"The door is wide open," Alinghi skipper Brad Butterworth, who led the meeting, told The Associated Press.
"Everyone wants (BMW Oracle) to be involved. It is just a matter of dropping their lawsuit and getting on with the process of having a fair and exciting regatta."
A spokesman for BMW Oracle's Golden Gate Yacht Club said it was prepared to consider the proposal.
"We have offered repeatedly to drop our lawsuit if Alinghi commits to fair rules, and our offer still stands," spokesman Tom Ehman Jr. said in an e-mail statement.
Preparations for the 33rd America's Cup regatta stalled within days of Alinghi's successful defense in July 2007.
The Swiss-owned boat beat Team New Zealand in one of the most thrilling finals in the Cup's 157-year history at Valencia, Spain.
The winner earned the right to draw up rules for the next regatta but BMW Oracle went to court attempting to show that Alinghi acted unfairly.
Alinghi's club, the Societe Nautique de Geneve, initially recognized Spain's Club Nautico Espanol de Vela as the challenger.
In March, a New York court declared its challenge invalid and said that Golden Gate should be the challenger.
But after an appeal by SNG, that decision was set aside by the New York Supreme Court's Appellate Division. However, Golden Gate quickly filed a last-chance appeal with the New York State Court of Appeals.
That ruling is not expected until next year but Alinghi, backed by billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli, relaunched the 33rd Cup contest last week.
With a Dec. 18 deadline for entries, Alinghi invited teams from across the world to resume a series of planning meetings suspended a year ago when the legal fight escalated.
Eleven prospective challengers from Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Sweden and South Africa met on Thursday in Geneva _ with the missing BMW Oracle team on their agenda.
"It was an incredibly positive meeting," Butterworth said. "We have a good understanding of how we can go forward.
"We would like nothing better than to have a fully competitive multi-challenger America's Cup on the water by 2010."
They agreed to race in 32nd Cup edition yachts for warmup regattas at Valencia next year. New boats would be built for the America's Cup in 2010, also off the Spanish city.
Butterworth said the teams will meet again in Geneva on Nov. 11, and hoped BMW Oracle would join them, stressing no strings were attached to their offer.
The American syndicate, bankrolled by software mogul Larry Ellison, was waiting to receive details of the proposal.
"We stand ready and willing to meet with Alinghi and all of the other competitors to discuss the future of the Cup," Ehman Jr. said, "but without unreasonable preconditions."
