STAMFORD, Connecticut (Bloomberg) ? General Re Corp., a reinsurer owned by Berkshire Hathaway Inc., is seeking to squeeze out remaining investors in its Cologne Re unit.

General Re, based in Stamford, Connecticut, owns 95.2 percent of Cologne Re and is calling for a shareholder meeting of the German subsidiary to allow for the purchase of the remaining shares in the unit, Cologne Re said in a statement yesterday.

Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire, run by 76-year-old Warren Buffett, the world's second-richest man, owns dozens of companies in industries ranging from candy to utilities and relies on insurance for about half its profit.