GM sets aside $144 mln to pay Saab supply bills

STOCKHOLM, March 1 (Reuters) - General Motors GM.N has put aside 1.3 billion crowns ($144 million) to pay suppliers to its Swedish Saab Automobile unit, which was granted protection from creditors in February, daily Dagens Industri said on Sunday.

GM supply manager Bo Andersson said in an interview that the U.S. firm would begin on Monday to pay bills left unsettled when Saab was granted protection from creditors on Feb. 20.

"We don't have any problems with deliveries to Saab now," Andersson said.

The paper said GM on Friday had also handed over 1.4 billion crowns to Guy Lofalk, the man appointed to restructure Saab, to keep the company operating.