LONDON (Standard&Poor's CreditWire) June 11, 2001–-Standard&Poor's today affirmed its single–'A'–minus long-term and 'A-2' short-term ratings on the incumbent Germany-based telecommunications operator Deutsche Telekom AG (DTAG) and related entities. (See list below for all ratings affected.) All ratings were removed from CreditWatch, where they had been placed with negative implications. The outlook is negative. The ratings on DTAG were placed on CreditWatch in February following comments made by the company's chief executive officer, Dr. Ron Sommer, that brought into question the company's ongoing commitment to reduce debt in a timely manner. More specifically, Dr. Sommer stated that DTAG would not pursue a partial IPO of T-Mobile, DTAG's cellular communications subsidiary, unless the likely valuation of these cellular
