SDNY COURTHOUSE,
March 11 – When the
International Monetary Fund
held its biweekly embargoed
press briefing on March 11,
Inner City Press asked about
Sri Lanka, Honduras and
Ukraine. Spokesperson
Gerry Rice responded on each,
though he perhaps
understandably said the IMF
does not comment on judicial
proceedings.
On Sri
Lanka, Inner City Press asked,
"On Sri Lanka, what is the
IMF's comment and view on the
country's decision to go with
a $1.5 billion currency swap
with China, with some saying
it is an alternative to the
IMF?"
Spokesperson Rice described
the IMF's recent programs with
Sri Lanka, including regarding
COVID-19. Video and transcript
coming.
On Ukraine,
Inner City Press asked "On
Ukraine, what is the IMF's
comment and view on the deputy
head of Ukraine's central bank
Kateryna Rozhkova today
accusing her own press office
of trying to censor comments
she gave to a local media
outlet that cast fresh doubt
on the central bank's
independence and
decision-making process?"
Spokesperson Rice said the IMF
takes central bank
independence very seriously,
and tied it to review of
Ukraine program(s).
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.
Berger
responded about
the IMF's work
to provide
lower income
countries
"breathing
space." He
said while the
IMF generally
welcomes the
BRI it stresses the
need for
transparency,
where the
money is
going.
(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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