(Adds Macedonian reaction)
PRAGUE, July 10 (Reuters) - Croatia, Bulgaria and Macedonia
denied a report in a German daily on Friday that they were among
at least 10 eastern Europe states in talks with the IMF over
billion-euro emergency loans for their ailing economies.
The report, which put the euro <EUR=> under pressure in
Asian trade on Friday, cited sources close to the IMF naming the
three countries -- all potential candidates for aid but none
having requested any -- as those who had asked the IMF for help.
It also said Ukraine, Serbia, Romania, Belarus and Latvia
were hoping for an earlier payout or an increase of already
approved funding.
They have all already agreed multi-billion euro loans from
the Fund and were followed by Bosnia this week, which secured a
$1.6 billion deal with the Fund this week.
Handelsblatt said that Bulgaria's incoming government,
likely to be led by the centre-right GERB party, which won a
July 5 parliamentary election, planned to start talks soon with
the IMF about a standby credit line, citing local media.
In Sofia, the outgoing Socialist-led government and the GERB
party, both said they had not opened talks with the IMF.
"There are no talks with the IMF. Definitely," a Bulgarian
finance ministry spokeswoman said. "To have such talks (in the
time) between two governments would not be serious."
Biser Boev, tipped to become the next economy minister in
the new Bulgarian government yet to be formed, said the next
government will first slash spending and ask the IMF to audit
its budget revision. But it would wait on aid.
"Our intentions have not changed," Boev told Reuters.
On Croatia, Handelsblatt said central bank governor Zeljko
Rohatinski believed it was increasingly likely that Zagreb would
need IMF support, after the central bank pumped 5 billion euros
into the economy.
But Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor said no request
had been made. "Croatia knows what it has to do to overcome the
crisis and we have not asked for an IMF loan," she said.
Macedonia's outgoing finance minister, Trajko Slaveski, also
said his country had not entered into loan negotiations.
Handelsblatt said a majority of the Fund's top brass was
supporting the loans given the impact of the financial crisis on
those countries.
It also said Hungary's government, which took a bailout in
October, had not yet decided whether it needs additional funds.
"A decision on the requests will be made as soon as
possible," Handelsblatt quoted an unidentified source as saying,
adding that a decision on payouts is usually reached within a
week after the application.
(Reporting by Jan Dahinten, Anna Mudeva, Zoran Radosavljevic,
Boris Groendahl, Michael Winfrey and Kole Casule; Editing by
Toby Chopra)
