IMF
Under
Lagarde In
Stasis on
Libya &
Horn of Africa
Famine,
Ignores
Questions on
Sudan,
Jamaica, Kabul
Bank
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 8,
updated below
-- The
International
Monetary Fund
under
Christine
Lagarde makes
many promise,
such as aid to
the Horn of
Africa drought
and to
democratizing
Arab countries,
and then
delivers
little,
without taking
questions or
providing
explanations.
Two
weeks ago
Inner City
Press asked
IMF deputy
spokesman
David Hawley
what the IMF
would do in
famine
stricken
Somalia.
Hawley said
the IMF does
not
recognize any
government
there,
including the
UN-recognized
Transitional
Federal
Government;
the IMF
bragged
however that
it
would work
with
neighboring
Kenya and
Djibouti.
During
Thursday
IMF bi-weekly
briefing Inner
City Press
posed follow
up questions,
including "on
the Horn of
Africa and
drought, what
has the IMF
done in the
past two weeks
beyond setting
up a mission
to Kenya in
October to
discuss easing
pressure on
the shilling?"
Acting
lead
spokesman
Gerry Rice
took only two
online
questions,
about Greece
and
Pakistan, and
did not
acknowledge
the follow up
or provide any
update
on Lagarde's
Horn of Africa
claims.
On
Libya, two
weeks ago
Hawley
answered Inner
City Press
that the IMF
could not yet
recognize the
Transitional
National
Council.
During the
September 8
briefing,
Inner City
Press asked by
online form
and then
email, "On
Libya, the
UN's
post-conflict
planning
report says
the World Bank
was
involved, but
not the IMF.
What has been
the IMF's
involvement on
Libya in the
past weeks and
months? and
going
forward?"
Rice
did not
acknowledge or
answer the
question. When
another
journalist in
the
room asked for
a Libya
update, Rice
said that
nothing has
changed
since the
answer two
weeks ago, the
IMF is
"monitoring
developments...
hoping for an
end to the
conflict."
The
question
remains: why
was the World
Bank but not
IMF involved
in the Ian
Martin
coordinated UN
system
planning for
"post-conflict"
Libya? Watch
this site.
Ban Ki-moon
& Lagarde:
the former
recognized
TFG, the
latter doesn't
Other
questions
Inner City
Press
submitted
without any
answer or
acknowledgment
by embargo
deadline
included:
What
is
the IMF's
response to
the requests
by Arab
finance
ministers this
week,
particularly
regarding
Sudan and its
debt? What is
the IMF's
involvement on
the Sudan debt
issue?
Re
Jamaica,
does IMF agree
with gov't
statement that
"Unless a
replacement
for a wage
freeze is
found,
Jamaica's
agreement with
the
International
Monetary Fund
(IMF) could be
in big
trouble,
according
to Financial
Secretary Dr.
Wesley
Hughes"?
What
is
the status of
the IMF's
dealing with
Afghanistan
about Kabul
Bank?
Watch
this site.
Update
of
11:30 am -- an
hour after
embargo
deadline, one
answer has
been
received:
"As
you
know the IMF
has been
discussing
additional
financial aid
for
Kenya and
Djibouti. I
can tell you
that a formal
request has
now been
received from
Kenya, and
this will be
considered by
the Board.
We’ll
update you on
timing when we
have it."
, 
in