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By Matthew Russell Lee, CJR PFT NY Post

NEW YORK CITY, July 25 – When the International Monetary Fund held its biweekly embargoed media briefing on June 27, Inner City Press submitted six questions including on Zimbabwe and Moldova which the IMF answered, see below. On June 28, 2019 on Mongolia the IMF issued this: "An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team led by Mr. Geoff Gottlieb visited Mongolia from June 19 to 28, 2019, to conduct discussions for the 2019 Article IV consultations. At the conclusion of this visit, Mr. Gottlieb issued the following statement:  “Mongolia’s growth rate recovered sharply since 2016. The turnaround in real GDP growth was boosted by strong external demand for Mongolia’s mineral exports, the resumption of the 2nd phase of the Oyu Tolgoi copper mine and loosening monetary and credit conditions.... However, the benefits have not been shared widely with rising household debt and still high poverty.... Regarding governance, the 2019 OECD-Anti-Corruption Network Report highlights key priorities for reducing corruption. Enhancing judiciary capabilities for commercial issues and a modern income and asset declaration framework are particularly important." Note that at the UN, Antonio Guterres neglected to declare the money he took in 2016 from Gulbenkian Foundation which tried to sell its oil company Partex to UN briber CEFC China Energy.

  Now on July 25, 2021, from the US State Department, this: "Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman met Speaker of the Mongolian Parliament Zandanshatar, Foreign Minister Battsetseg, and Deputy Foreign Minister Munkhjin during her visit to Ulaanbaatar from July 23 to July 25.  During her meetings, the Deputy Secretary highlighted the importance of the U.S.-Mongolia Strategic Partnership and discussed ways to strengthen Mongolia’s democratic institutions, enhance its sovereignty, and diversify its economy.  The Deputy Secretary met with members of the Mongolian Armed Forces to express appreciation for Mongolia’s sustained commitment to peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan.  The Deputy Secretary also visited the Choijin Lama Temple Museum and learned about the preservation of Mongolian culture, from religious sites to traditional Mongolian script. She also met with staff at Mongolia’s LGBT Center to learn about their work in promoting human rights for all people."

On June 27, 2019 on Pakistan Inner City Press asked, "On Zimbabwe, what is the IMF's response to Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube saying 'The first order of business is to clear the arrears and then move on to phase two, which is the bilateral discussions with the Paris Club' - asked if Zimbabwe would seek financing from the IMF next year, Ncube said: 'Why not? We can only ask, they can only say no'?"  Camilla Andersen, Assistant Director of the IMF's Communications Department, read out Inner City Press' question and replied among other things that while Zimbabwe has cleared its arrears to the IMF, other debts that would have to be cleared remain. She cited the Staff Managed Program running into 2020 (transcript to come).

 On Moldova Inner City Press asked, "On Moldova, please confirm or deny this from the government: "The head of the IMF mission, Ruben Atoyan, said that the International Monetary Fund had quite attentively monitored the situation in Moldova and that the Fund showed full openness to help Moldova.  ... The resumption of the negotiations with the International Monetary Fund and implementation of the provisions of the memorandum of economic and financial policies will allow Moldova receiving the last two installments of the financing program on behalf of the Fund, worth about 66 million Dollars."  The IMF's Camilla Andersen replied among other things that the the IMF has disbursed $112 million under the program and continues to assess (full transcript to come). 

Back on June 13, 2019 Inner City Press asked, "what is the IMF's response to JI leader Sirajul Haq criticism of the "budget of IMF purely concentrating only on increasing taxes and prices of essential commodities, and was just read out by its slaves.  He said the budget did not care about reducing the problems of common man and price hike, adding that it was just a jugglery of figures and words which was incomprehensible even to the economic champions of the government."

  IMF Spokesperson Gerry Rice in the briefing said, transcript and video here: "There is a question on Pakistan, from our friend Matthew Lee in New York, asking in summary what is the IMF's response to the criticism of the Pakistani budget which was recently announced that the IMF is purely concentrating on increasing taxes and prices and doesn’t care about reducing the problems of the common man. Again, stepping back, Pakistan has requested a program from the IMF. Last month we reached a staff level agreement on that program so that’s now under discussion. So, I don’t really have a specific comment on the budget.  But in terms of our discussions, I can say that we are talking about broadly how to restore stronger, more balanced growth by reducing domestic and external imbalances, improving the business environment, strengthening institutions, increasing transparency and importantly protecting social spending. So that last part does indeed speak broadly to the point that Matthew is raising, that social spending is and protecting social spending is in fact an important part of the discussion that we are having on a program with Pakistan."

 Inner City Press asked asked, "On Kenya, please state the status with the IMF given reports that the country is "on course to renewing its $1.5 billion standby credit facility with the IMF signing a deal with selected banks to release close to Ksh1 trillion ($10 billion) in loans to the private sector despite the prevailing rate caps."  On the upcoming June 25-26 Bahrain conference on Palestine, given that the IMF has said it "has been invited to the meeting and expects to attend, along with other international financial institutions," please state if the IMF understands that the wider United Nations will attend, and/or has been invited."

Rice said, "There is a question on Kenya. “Please give the status of the IMF program with Kenya given reports that it's on course to renew its standby credit facility.” And on that about all I can say is that negotiations indeed are ongoing on a Fund supported program. I don't have a timetable on that but with the negotiations are underway."

  Inner City Press asked asked, again, for an update on Haiti.

 Rice said, "There is a final question online that I want to take which is on Haiti and asking about developments there and the status of IMF discussions on a program. And again, this is a case where recently there have been protests on the streets and some violence I'm sad to say. So, on that front of course as always, we express our condolences for the loss of life there in Sunday's demonstrations in particular. And, what I can also say is that of course we hope that the dialogue can go forward there and, you know, eliminate the violence that’s taking place and that we can have some consensus around a reform agenda.  On the program and discussions around the program, given the time that has now elapsed since the IMF team reached a staff level agreement, that was back in March. And given the changes in Haiti's' economic situation a reassessment of the economic framework and of the measures needed to stabilize and support the economy is going to be needed before we would be in the position to propose a program to our executive board. That said, we look forward to engaging with Haiti's new government as soon as feasible to find the best way forward and to protect the most vulnerable groups, improve governance and secure macroeconomic stability. So that’s where we are on Haiti."

  It's appreciated. The UN's censorship. Not. And the US State Departmnet's inaction? We'll have more on that. Watch this site.

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