Czech newspapers are confirming earlier reports that TelSource and the Czech government have reached an agreement that the 51% joint stake in Cesky Telecom to be sold will consist of 34% held by the state and 17% held by TelSource. The two parties still have not reached an agreement on whether to pay a dividend out of 2000 profits (2000 EPS was CZK 19.7), with TelSource seeking a dividend. The deputy finance did not rule out a dividend but did not suggest an amount. According to a press report, which quotes an unidentified government source, there are at least two potentially interested bidders for the 51% stake, namely Telefonica and Vivendi, according to a government source, though we do not know how they expressed their interest and how serious it really is. The latter report might help the stock, as Deutsche Telecom had been widely considered the only serious potential bidder.
(Ondřej Daťka)