'Crunch time' for Alitalia-Etihad deal

(ANSA) - Rome, July 29 - 'Crunch time' has arrived for negotiations to finalise a 560-million-euro deal for Abu Dhabi-based airline Etihad to buy a 49% stake in struggling Italian carrier Alitalia, Transport Minister Maurizio Lupi said Tuesday. "We have now reached the decisive hours: Etihad has raised very clear issues to which the board of directors of Alitalia has made a clear response," said Lupi.
    "Now it is necessary to translate those answers into very concrete facts," he continued, adding that the situation would become clear "in a matter of hours".
    Etihad is pushing for a deal by the end of the month but unions representing Alitalia employees remain divided over some of the conditions including labour cost reductions and job cuts.
    "There won't be more days, also because the time-frame was clear to everyone, unions, stakeholders and banks," Lupi said. "The alternative is very clear and everyone should know that," continued the minister.
    "There are no other options. To go backwards and forwards is not allowed, everyone must shoulder their part of responsibility," Lupi concluded.
    The government considers the deal with Etihad to be the last chance to save Alitalia, with Lupi recently warning that the alternative was "the abyss".
    However on Monday at least one union called for renegotiation of labour conditions demanded by the Abu Dhabi carrier.
    Alitalia said that all of its unions must support its demands.
    "The cohesion and sharing of decisions by all the unions is essential to the successful completion of arrangements with Etihad," Alitalia said.