SDNY COURTHOUSE,
May 6 – When the
International Monetary Fund
held its biweekly embargoed
press briefing on May 6, Inner
City Press asked about unrest
(and tax hikes) in Colombia,
the coup in Myanmar, and a
program for Uganda. Interim
video here, IMF video and
transcript forthcoming.
Spokesperson Gerry Rice
responded on each.
Inner City Press
asked, "Given unrest in
Colombia, is there any updated
IMF thinking on the situation
in the country, since the
April 28 announcement of
Colombia's qualification for
the arrangement under the
Flexible Credit Line?"
The IMF's
Rice among other things said
that while the IMF is watching
President Duque's moves,
Colombia is still eligible for
the FCL, due to its strong
economic fundamentals. Why the
tax hike on eggs and milk,
then?
Inner City Press
asked, On Myanmar can you
update us on IMF's contacts
with the regime and other
authorities, including those
seeking to be recognized?
Rice's
answer was that there was not
much new IMF news; he used the
word regime and expressed
concern.
Finally
Inner City Press asked, " On
Uganda, please confirm - and
if so, comment on -- reports
that Uganda is seeking at
least $900 million in a
three-year IMF program for its
budget amid rising spending
due to the Covid-19 pandemic."
Rice
confirmed that's the size of
the request, said things are
progressing with more still to
be ironed out. The size will
be up to the IMF Board.
Back
on March 11 in a question
Inner City Press, given what
it has reported on for the
past three days was compelled
to ask, it sent and asked, "On
Honduras, given mounting
evidence including in the
trial of Geovanny
Fuentes-Ramirez that high
government officials are
implicated in
narco-trafficking, what are
the IMF's comments on current
programs and safeguards in
place?"
As noted,
Spokesperson Rice said that
IMF does not comment on
(pending) judicial
proceedings. At least he took
the question.
Watch this site.
Back on January 8
Inner City Press asked the
IMF's Helge Berger, Mission
Chief, about China's so-called
Belt and Road Initiative:
"Your Article IV report cites
China's "overseas lending
projects" amid "rising
geopolitical tensions and
economic and trade frictions."
How does the IMF think that
rising debt levels among
African countries, and
increased skepticism about the
"Belt and Road" will impact or
be addressed going forward?
-Matthew Russell Lee, Inner
City Press. Video here.
(An aside: Inner
City Press has
reported on
the CEFC China
Energy Fund
Committee's
activities in
Chad and
Uganda and in
the UN, on
which the UN is
UNresponsive.)
Other questions
included
China's digital
currency (Inner
City Press also reports
on
crypto-currency
cases in the
U.S. District
Court for the
Southern
District of
New York and
elsewhere).
Berger said
when used
overseas an
issue is that
residents
could start
using another
country's
currency, if
it is easier.
We'll have more
on this.
***
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