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At IMF, No Comment on Ukraine & Cote d'Ivoire Shutdowns, US Reform of GSE

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, February 17 -- Amid pushback in Greece and Ireland and protests in Ukraine, the IMF's biweekly press was particularly wan on Thursday. Inner City Press had submitted a question on Ukraine (as well as Cote d'Ivoire and the USA), but none of them were read out. The USA question was never asked. On Ukraine, when another reporter asked, IMF spokesman David Hawley said “I have nothing on” that.

  Inner City Press had asked, and by embargo deadline got no answer or explanation, “On Ukraine, what is the IMF's response to protests blaming the IMF for the proposal to cut pensions in half and raise the retirement age?”

  On Cote d'Ivoire, where after suspension of IMF programs the private banks and now bourse have closed down, Hawley said “I don't have anything specific on Cote d'Ivoire... naturally we are following it closely.” But to what end?

  Inner City Press had asked, and by embargo deadline got no answer or explanation, “On Cote d'Ivoire, now with banks and bourse shut down, what would be the conditions for the IMF to in fact provide the $565.7 million under the PRGF arrangement?”

  Finally, on the USA Inner City Press had asked, “In the US, the IMF urged housing sector reform, including of the Government Sponsored Enterprises. What does the IMF think of the GSE plan recently announced by the US?”

After the briefing, Inner City Press asked Hawley and the chief spokesperson Caroline Atkinson, apparently traveling with Dominique Strauss Kahn, to explain the failure to answer or even acknowledge these timely submitted questions.


IMF's DSK, Hawley on left, answers on Cote d'Ivoire, Ukraine & GSEs not shown

DSK has deployed his spouse to say she does not favor another term at the IMF, thereby coyly implying a run for French presidency. Watch this site.

Footnote: the IMF's position(s) on Kosovo came up Wednesday outside the UN Security Council. But questions to the IMF were not possible -- while this cross UN system questions would seem to be one of the reasons for the IMF's online briefing. We'll see.

* * *

IMF Postpones Kosovo & Pakistan, Waiting for Stronger Governments, Dodges on Sudan But Answers on Tunisia

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, January 6, updated -- Questions of Pakistan and Kosovo and the International Monetary Fund's longing for strong governments arose at the IMF's fortnightly media briefing on Thursday. Inner City Press asked, and IMF spokesperson Caroline Atkinson read out with a cautionary note, the following on Pakistan:

On Pakistan, what is the IMF's thinking after the assassination of Punjab's governor, as the government loses power -- [here Ms Atkinson added, “those are Matthew's words”] -- is it realistic to think the IMF's conditions will be met?”

  In response, she said Pakistan has been given nine additional months. But what will be different then?

  Later in the briefing, Ms. Aktinson read out the rare Balkan question, also from Inner City Press:

On Kosovo, what are the IMF's views on Mr. Thaci's proposal to double public sector salaries, and on the Council of Europe's allegations this once and seeming future PM was involved in organ trafficking?”

  How ever distasteful the organ reference may have been to Ms. Atkinson, she replied that “we have, as Matthew may know, an eighteen month” program with Kosovo, the December consideration of which has been postponed.

  A link between these two may be that while the IMF does impose conditions on its loans, it prefers to say that governments, particularly legislatures, have approved or even chosen between the choices presented by the IMF. This legitimates the IMF, and also may help in collecting the money down the road.

  Kosovo is in political turmoil, and Pakistan no longer even controls large swaths of its territory -- nor, apparently more importantly to the IMF, its political space.


Protest in Tunisia, IMF role & even acknowledgment of question not shown

  Submitted but not acknowledge during the briefing by Ms. Atkinson was this question, about Tunisia:

On Tunisia, given the IMF's role and statements, what can IMF say about the unrest that has followed the death of protester Mohamed Bouazizi and others?”

  We will await the IMF's acknowledgement and answer of this question, and a more detailed response on Sudan and the IMF's role in the debt issues, on which the UN has said “the Bretton Woods institutions are taking the lead.” Watch this site.

Update of 1 pm - Two hours after deadline, the following arrived, with the notation that it should be attributed to an IMF spokesperson:

We deeply regret the recent surge of violence in Tunisia. The IMF remains engaged with the Tunisian authorities and follows the developments closely. Unemployment in Tunisia has declined slightly in the last decade, but remains high, especially among the young. In this context, IMF staff continues to encourage the authorities to pursue structural reforms critical to achieve higher growth, enhance competitiveness and address the problem of persistent high unemployment. Such reforms include measures to increase productivity by improving the business environment, reforming labor market policy, increasing capital investment, and modernizing and strengthening the financial sector.”

We'll have more on this.

 Click here for an Inner City Press YouTube channel video, mostly UN Headquarters footage, about civilian deaths in Sri Lanka.

Click here for Inner City Press' March 27 UN debate

Click here for Inner City Press March 12 UN (and AIG bailout) debate

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

and this October 17 debate, on Security Council and Obama and the UN.

* * *

These reports are usually also available through Google News and on Lexis-Nexis.

Click here for a Reuters AlertNet piece by this correspondent about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click 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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