The Czech Press Agency quotes Prime Minister Milos Zeman as yesterday saying that the main Cesky Telecom privatization criteria is price. Nevertheless, he did not indicate the price the state seeks for its 51% stake in Cesky Telecom.
The deadline for second-round bids in the current tender sale is April 26, and Cabinet should discuss the tender bidding again on April 29; first-round bids were reportedly 5-10% above Cesky Telecom`s market cap. The prime minister`s comments, as well as recent comments by the finance minister, suggest that the government may be willing to accept less than the CZK 80 bil. (CZK 487 per share) previously cited by the prime minister as the minimum acceptable price for the stake.
(Jiri Soustruznik)