* Belvedere shares close up 18.4 percent
* Belvedere calls for AMF inquiry into share price mvts (Adds details)
PARIS, Dec 23 (Reuters) - French drinks group Belvedere on Thursday called for the French markets regulator AMF to launch an inquiry into alleged share price manipulations.
In an open letter to the AMF published on its website, Belvedere, owner of Sobieski vodka and Marie Brizard liqueur, alleged three financial institutions had manipulated its share price, which closed up 18.4 percent on Thursday.
Belvedere did not identify the institutions involved.
"I can affirm that three of them (financial institutions), and not the smallest, are involved in this market manipulation," Belvedere Chief Executive Jacques Rouvroy said in the letter.
The AMF declined to comment, adding that "it does not communicate ... on its surveillance activities."
Belvedere shares have jumped from just 23 euros in early November and closed at 58.65 euros on Thursday. (Reporting by Julien Ponthus; Editing by Jon Loades-Carter)