Ljubljana, 21 April (STA) - A representative of the Slovenia Sovereign Holding (SSH), which manages the privatisation of Telekom Slovenije, said on Tuesday that the price remained the main sticking point between the sellers and the sole bidder, the UK private equity fund Cinven.

"There is will for the deal to be sealed, both on the buyer's side and on the sellers' side, but there is of course the question of adequate conditions," SSH board member Matej Runjak told reporters on the sidelines of a business breakfast organised by AmCham.

While stressing that the SSH was trying to close the sale as soon as possible, he said that the "price is by far the most important condition", adding that this might slow down the sale of the 73% state-owned stake in Telekom.

"A consensus needs to be reached here, which will be reflected the most in an acceptable price," he said, adding that the consortium of sellers was trying to determine the lowest acceptable price.

Runjak said last week that the SSH was not ruling out the option of letting the government as the sole shareholder take the final decision on whether or not to sell Telekom.

Cinven was the only company that had filed a binding bid for Slovenian telecoms incumbent Telekom Slovenije by the 13 March deadline, while German telecommunications giant Deutsche Telekom, which was seen as the most likely potential buyer, did not bid.