The Ministry of Finance is announcing today that it has begun preparations to issue a debut Eurobond this year. As a first step, we have announced the start of the process for selecting the Mandate Lead Manager. A Request for Financing Proposal to select the Lead Manager is shown on our site. Following is an indicative Term Sheet of the issue:

Indicative Term Sheet

- Currency: Euro

- Size: Euro 300mm plus

- Maturity: 3-5 years

- Format: Reg S

- Status: Senior unsecured

- Law: English law

- Form: Registered

- Use of Proceeds: General funding purposes

Close to 200mm Euros of the proceeds will go to refinance/prepay the existing syndicate loan that we signed last year.  The Ministry of Finance would like to invite major banking and investment banking institutions to consider the RFP and to provide written answers to a schedule of questions listed on the Ministry’s website and submit their proposals to us by February 5, 2010, midnight