Cvetkovic : Waiting for the right price for Telekom

Belgrade, May, 18. 2010 (Serbia Today) - The state's stake in Telekom Srbija will be sold only if the price and potential buyer are right, said   Prime Minister Mirko Cvetković in the interview for Belgrade weekly NIN. “We will only sell Telekom if these two conditions are met,” Cvetković told, adding that the company cannot stay in state control and remain efficient.  The prime minister added that these were the "last moments in which the ownership structure of the company can be changed, in order for it to be able to compete at a later time.”  Cvetković noted that Norwegian company Telenor, which in 2006 entered the Serbian mobile telephony market, has also received a license for landline services and that it will become “a strong player we will not be able to match in a year or two.” “It would be wrong to wait for Telekom to begin losing its market position and value and then decide to sell it. Such a sale scenario would be condemned to failure,” Cvetković said.  Speaking on how the money from the sale of the state's 40 percent stake would be spent, he said that regional roads that are important to Serbia strategically would be a priority, and that the money "must be spent in a transparent manner.” The tender for the sale is expected later this year.  Cvetković also expressed optimism that the economic crisis was ending and that "better days await Serbia in the coming months.” He said that the average wage increased by almost ten percent in March, compared to February, and that the GDP figure had started to grow, along with exports.  Cvetković said that unemployment still remains a major problem and that if the economic conditions exist for doing so, wages and pensions would be increased according to the inflation rate, "plus-minus one percent.”