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On Sri Lanka, IMF Says Its
Pending Loan Would "Support Government Policy Goals," To Wait and See
Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of
Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis
WASHINGTON,
March 12 -- As
conflict rages in Northern Sri Lanka, with not only the Tamil Tigers
but also
the government forces killing civilians at a pace that has triggered
two calls
for a cessation of fighting by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the
International Monetary Fund is in the final stages of negotiating a
$1.9
billion loan to Sri Lanka. Asked Thursday what restrictions the IMF
might place
on the loan IMF spokesman David Hawley said the loan funds would be
used for
"the government's policy goals."
Inner City Press asked a follow-up on possible
conditions or safeguards,
specifically with regard to the military action in Northern Sri Lanka.
Mr.
Hawley referred to the note he had just read out, saying that the loan
is still
under negotiation and to wait and see what conditions there might be.
The IMF briefing, held in basement auditorium of the
Fund's headquarters
a few blocks from the White House where Ban Ki-moon met with U.S.
President
Barack Obama on March 12, was sparsely attended and lasted less than 20
minutes. After passing through security
and waiting for an escort, Inner City Press arrived just as Mr. Hawley
was
about to close the briefing. He took Sri Lanka as the last question.
Some said
it must be a busy news day, that few questions were submitted online to
the
briefing. (Inner City Press has in the past sought to submit questions
from the
UN in New York via the IMF's web site and has watched online as it was
said,
"There are no more questions.") The IMF's own lack of funds would seem
to trigger at least a half hour of questions and answers.
IMF's Managing Director at UN, with
Alpha Oumar Konare on MDGs, Sri Lanka conditions not shown
During the visit of Ban and his entourage to
Washington, the word Sri
Lanka did not arise even once, chief UN Peacekeeper Alain Le
Roy told Inner
City Press on Wednesday in the Rayburn House Office Building. This
despite Ban
Ki-moon have twice called for a cessation of fighting, and his
Spokesperson's
Office's claim that he has made the humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka a
priority.
The IMF Spokesman said to wait and see about conditions on the Fund's
loan to Sri
Lanka. Sources say while these conditions may involve not using the
Fund's funds to support the Sri Lankan rupee, what others
in the UN system are calling a humanitarian catastrophe, including
government-created and -funded detention camps for those fleeing
the conflict zone, is not even on the IMF's radar. We'll see --
watch this site.
Click here for Inner City
Press' Feb 26 UN debate
Click
here
for Feb.
12 debate on Sri Lanka http://bloggingheads.tv/diavlogs/17772?in=11:33&out=32:56
Click here for Inner City Press' Jan.
16, 2009 debate about Gaza
Click here for Inner City Press'
review-of-2008 UN Top Ten debate
Click here for Inner
City Press' December 24 debate on UN budget, Niger
Click here from Inner City Press'
December 12 debate on UN double standards
Click here for Inner
City Press' November 25 debate on Somalia, politics
Click here for Inner City
Press Nov. 7 debate on the war in Congo
Watch this site, and this Oct. 2 debate, on
UN, bailout, MDGs
and this October 17 debate, on
Security Council and Obama and the UN.
* * *
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here
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AlertNet piece by this correspondent
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here
for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali
National
Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an
undefined trust fund. Video
Analysis here
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