I.M.F. Delegation Visits Public Banks Joint Administration Council

ANKARA - The IMF delegation headed by IMF Turkey Desk Chief Reza Moghadam visited on Monday Zeki Sayin, the Chairman of the Public Banks Joint Administration Council.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Sayin said that the consultant company would submit his report about the privatization of Halkbank until the end of September and that the Bank would be ready for sale until the end of November.
Sayin said that they reached compromise about the reconstruction of agricultural credits and that the road they followed was right.
Zeki Sayin said that they gave general information to IMF delegation about the public banks.
Upon a question, Sayin said that the merger of Halkbank and Ziraat Bank was never on their agenda. When the representative of World Bank's Representation in Turkey asked if the government would merge Halkbank with Ziraat Bank if the latter could not be sold, they said they planned to sell it, Sayin said.
Zeki Sayin said that the privatization of Ziraat Bank didn't come to agenda in the meeting, adding that the privatization of only Halk Bank was on the agenda.
IMF Turkey Representative Odd Per Brekk and director generals of Ziraat Bank and Halk Bank attended the meeting.
(Öª-AÖ) 14.07.2003