No actual outlays of money have been made, according to the banking sources.

But banking sources said that the size of the issue would depend on the interest shown by the market.

He said that if the gold had been moved, the Soviets were most likely using it as collateral in obtaining dollars from banking sources.

However, a detailed version appeared in another newspaper yesterday, which cited banking sources in the City.

About $840 million of the debt is not included in the refinancing talks, banking sources say.

But many remained noncommital about whether they would buy the San Francisco company's notes, banking sources said.

But that is proving unpopular with Islamic hardliners in the government, according to one banking source.

Very few manufacturing enterprises reached beyond family resources, ploughed-back profits or local banking sources.

The foreign banking source said the question of interest rates would be "one of the visible points of the negotiation."

That is a sum which could not have been obtained from traditional banking sources.