Swedish government: Door not closed to Saab loan guarantees

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - The Swedish government has not closed the door to providing loan guarantees to Saab following a restructuring of General Motors' loss-making Swedish carmaker, a senior official told Reuters on Friday.

"It is not the case that we have closed the door to that. That will depend on what the plans look like," said Joran Hagglund, state secretary at the Swedish Industry Ministry.

Hagglund said he could not say what specific conditions the government would demand to provide loan guarantees.

"The general demand is that there must exist sufficient collateral," he said. "If you provide loan guarantees to someone, you must be sure the company has a future."

Saab Automobile said earlier on Friday it would file for a reorganization plan, a Swedish legal procedure which would give it protection from creditors. The company said it would seek funding from both public and private sources.