Not many buyers interested in etatised Transpetrol

Russian oil company Jukos learned only form the media that Slovakia was, surpassingly, interested in purchase of 49-percent stake and management control over pipeline join stock company Transpetrol. The reason - growing concerns concerning the future fate of Jukos. Jukos was prompted by the Russian cabinet to pay its tax arrears in value of several billions of US dollars and Jukos' reaction was to call an extraordinary general meeting that is to decide about a possible bankruptcy. This Monday Slovak Minister of Economy announced that Slovakia had already sent the Russian cabinet a letter informing it about Slovakia's intention to purchase the stake. The Minister expects the Russian Federation to support this proposal. At the same time the Minister admitted that Slovakia would probably pay for the company more then the 72 mil. USD Jukos paid for it back in 2002. He even claims that the price Slovakia will have to pay will be higher by at least the inflation i.e. about 20%. P. Rusko did not mention any concerns regarding raising the necessary funds even though the Minister of Finance, Ivan Miklos said for TV station Markiza he had not seen the plan for purchase of the stake at all yet. Not even the cabinet had officially discussed the topic. (author)