He said that the final model of privatization had not been identified, but he expressed the hope that Svyazinvest would be privatized in 2005.
The minister again said he was in favor of privatizing the holding with Rostelecom.
"I believe that Rostelecom should remain part of Svyazinvest," he said. "It should not be separated, because this will not produce any good results, especially given the liberalization of the long-distance communications market."
The minister said that only an effective owner with effective management could ensure that the company worked well.
In his opinion, the holding should be privatized in an open tender. Mr. Reiman said that he had already met with a few potential Russian and foreign investors that are interested in bidding for Svyazinvest.
After indicating that there would be several potential buyers, the minister said, "I think it will be a quite interesting situation." He concluded that there would be competition.
