Papers Cry Foul Over Sale of State Stake in Mlinotest

Maribor/Ljubljana/Koper, 6 December - The sale of the state stake in bread and pasta company Mlinotest to financial firm Vipa, which in effect blocks an attempt by food group Zito to acquire Mlinotest, gains a lot of attention in Slovenian papers on Wednesday. Most of the dailies say the transaction is the latest chapter in the second phase of privatisation, in which Vipa, like all other buyers, was chosen in a process that runs contrary to market logic. There is also the opinion of a regional daily that Vipa is trying to become a major investment player in the western region of Primorsko.