TOKYO, March 25 (Reuters) - U.S. crude futures stood steady

near $94 a barrel on Monday as market participants waited to see

whether a last-minute deal to save Cyprus from financial

meltdown could be reached by the deadline later in the day.

FUNDAMENTALS

* NYMEX crude for May delivery was unchanged at

$93.71 a barrel by 2249 GMT, after settling up $1.26 on Friday

on the back of firm U.S. equity markets.

* London Brent crude for May delivery was down 26

cents at $107.40 a barrel, after settling up 19 cents at

$107.66.

Brent's premium to U.S. crude shrank to the

narrowest level since July on Friday, on rising supplies of

North Sea crude and as U.S. pipeline projects, including

Magellan's Longhorn pipeline, are coming online to ease the glut

of crude at Cushing.

* Facing a Monday deadline to avert a collapse of Cyprus's

banking system, Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades held

fraught last-minute talks with international lenders on Sunday

over terms for a 10 billion euro ($13 billion) bailout after a

first attempt collapsed last week.

Cyprus has agreed on a 20-percent levy on deposits over

100,000 euros ($130,000) at Bank of Cyprus and a 4-percent levy

on deposits of the same amount at other lenders. The Central

Bank of Cyprus imposed a 100-euros per day limit on withdrawals

from cash machines at two biggest banks to avert a run.

* Algerian Djamel Okacha has been named as a new commander

in al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), replacing Abdelhamid

Abou Zeid who was killed in fighting in northern Mali, Algerian

Ennahar TV said on Sunday.

* Eni declared force majeure and ordered the

closure of its onshore activities in the "so-called" Swamp Area

located in the Bayelsa State in Nigeria during the night between

March 21 and 22.