IMF
Has Crimea in
Ukraine Data,
No Answer If
Western Sahara
in
Morocco Data
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
April 24 --
The
International
Monetary Fund
says it
expects
to approve a
$14-18 billion
program for
Ukraine on
April 30,
while
still
including
Crimea in its
Ukraine data,
IMF
spokesperson
Gerry
Rice said at
the IMF's
embargoed
briefing on
April 24.
Rice
said the IMF
expects its
$14-18 billion
to "unlock"
$15
billion in
financial
assurances
that have
already been
made by
others, whom
he did not
name. He said
that the IMF
has now
received
from Kyiv
documents
covering all
"prior
actions" or
conditions
imposed by the
IMF.
Asked
if sanctions
imposed to
"punish"
Russia might
harm Ukraine,
Rice said the
IMF position
is that
current US and
European Union
sanctions on
Russia are
unlikely to
have a
significant
effect on the
Ukrainian
economy. He
said the IMF
believes the
more
substantial
risk is from
the possible
further
escalation of
tensions.
On
the IMF still
including
Crimea in its
Ukraine data,
Rice would not
explain except
to add that
Crimea is only
3.7% of its
Ukrainian
data.
Asked for
analogies to
lending to
Ukraine at
this time,
Rice cited
past IMF
programs in
Bosnia, Sri
Lanka and
Peru, calling
them
"fragile" and
with
"political
tensions."
While
the
IMF answered
three of the
six questions
Inner City
Press
submitted
during the
briefing, its
question
concerning
whether the
IMF still
includes
Abkhazia and
South Ossetia
in its Georgia
data was
not answered
-- nor whether
it includes
Western Sahara
in its Morocco
data.
The
inclusion of
Crimea in the
IMF's Ukraine
data raises
the question
of
the relation
between the UN
General
Assembly vote,
with 58
abstentions,
on the Crimean
referendum and
the
International
Monetary
Fund, as well
as the US
Congress'
refusal to
pass the IMF
quota
reforms which
US President
Obama agreed
to in 2010.
The
IMF board
meeting to
consider the
Fund's Ukraine
program is
slated
for April 30.
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