IMF
Ignores
Spanish Bankia
Protests, No
Answer on
Sudan or
Post-Coup Mali
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
May 17 -- Amid
taxpayers'
bailout of
banks, opposed
most
recently by
social
movements in
Spain with
regard to
Bankia, the
International
Monetary Fund
praises the
bailouts and
ignores the
opposition, as
it pretends
not to do for
example in
Egypt.
On
May 17 Inner
City Press
submitted to
the IMF's
biweekly
briefing this,
as one of
four
questions:
"On
Spain,
does the IMF
have any views
of the moves
to organize a
run on
the troubled
Spanish lender
Bankia SA?"
The
sum total of
what IMF
deputy
spokesman
David Hawley
said during
the briefing,
embargoed
until 10:30
am, was that
Managing
Director
Christine
Lagarde had
praise the
actions of the
Spanish
authorities,
which
included a 40%
nationalization
of Bankia.
There was no
response to
the protests.
Inner
City Press
also asked, so
far without
answer:
What
is
the status of
IMF programs
in and reviews
of Mali and
Guinea
Bissau, given
coups in each
country?
In
Kosovo,
has the 107
million Euros
been formally
committed, or
are
additional
steps required
of the Kosovar
authorities?
Again,
what
is the IMF
doing on or
about the
Sudan - South
Sudan oil
transfer fee
dispute, and
about any debt
relief for
Sudan?
Two
weeks ago,
while lead IMF
spokesman
Gerry Rice did
answer one of
Inner City
Press'
questions,
after the
briefing
another IMF
spokesperson
promised a
substantive
answer on the
Sudan oil
transfer fee
question,
which Inner
City Press has
sought since
directly
asking the
IMF's
Masood Ahmed
at the IMF's
Spring Meeting
in April.
Still, it has
not
been received.
Watch this
site.
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