"We will follow developments on international financial markets and decide for the refinancing of debt in moments that will be favourable," said Janša, who took over as finance minister today after the departure of Janez Šušteršič.

He rejected Šušteršič's claims that he was blocking the budget financing programme, saying that the Finance Ministry's proposal, which he had put on hold, had included a provision enabling Slovenia to take out up to EUR 4.2bn in additional debt in the coming two years merely on the basis of ministerial decree.

The government demanded that the cabinet be given the final word on bonds - this was ignored by the ministry, which is why the programme was withdrawn from last week's government session, Janša explained.

"Irrespective of who leads it, the Finance Ministry can not decide alone on when debt of EUR 1bn or EUR 2bn is to be taken out. The government will decide on this," he stressed.

Šušteršič said on Thursday as he officially withdrew that the ministry had already prepared all the proceedings for a new dollar-denominated bond issue under favourable conditions, only to be stopped in the tracks by the prime minister.

Janša also rejected Šušteršič's claims that he was undermining efforts to name executive directors of the bad bank.

"It was agreed that nobody that has participated in any way in the management or supervision of the banks we are fixing would be appointed non-executive or executive director of the bad bank," he said, adding that one of the proposed candidates did not meet this condition.

Proceedings with appropriate candidates will get under was in the coming days, the prime minister announced.