Carmaker General Motors and Germany will not decide on Tuesday which bidder will succeed in buying Opel, GM's chief negotiator John Smith said at the start of a round of meetings in the German capital.

If you're asking me to select one bidder, no, Smith told reporters as he went into meetings with officials from the German government and from the two main bidders -- Canadian supplier Magna and financial investor RHJ Interational .

GM, which owns 35 percent of Opel shares, and Germany, which will provide state aid, have to agree on the buyer.

(Reporting by Gernot Heller)