Michelin and Stomil back on talking terms over profit sharing

The conflict between shareholders of Stomil Olsztyn and its main investor Michelin of France seems to be on the wane as the mud-slinging is giving way to talks about dividing the company's 2002 profit. According to shareholders, the two most likely options are buy-back or dividends. Should the former option prevail the shares would be withdrawn from circulation, thus increasing the value of shares remaining on the market. "Last year showed that the company is in perfect condition, of which we must now take advantage. We have only two options - dividends and buy-back," said one of the shareholders. Company officials said it is too early to make any serious decisions and want to wait until its 2002 financial report is published. During the first nine months of 2002 Stomil's net profit was slightly below zl. 100 million. (Puls Biznesu, p. 8) J.K.