Weekly Review of Slovene Economy from 4 through 9 December

Ljubljana, 9 December - Minister of Finances Mitja Gaspari and Governor of the Bank of Slovenia France Arhar, who were between 28 November and 1 December paying a visit to several important financial institutions in the United States (Federal Reserve, State Department, OFAC - authorized institution for sanctions, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund), told at a news conference on Monday, 4 December, after their return from the U.S., that they presented to these institutions the protection of Slovene interests in the wake of the lifting of the sanctions against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (ZRJ). They also discussed completing procedures needed to reach an agreement between Slovenia and commercial banks and completing necessary procedures enabling using second part of the loan under favourable conditions, which should go to privatized Slovene companies via three Slovene banks - SKB, Ljubljanska banka and Celjska banka. Negotiations for the loan are to take place on 18 December in New York.