Take a look at how the United Nations is helping the
IMF/WB/Donors/Multinationals, as well as the US government,
privatize Iraq.
US activists should be working with Belgian, Spanish, and other
European activists to protest the UN/IMF/WB preparatory conference in
Brussels on September 3 and the UN/IMF/WB/Rich Donor Nations'
Governments conference in Madrid on October 23-24.
* U.N., IMF, World Bank to discuss Iraqi needs
Reuters, 08.22.03, 4:42 PM ET
UNITED NATIONS
(Reuters) - U.N., World Bank and IMF officials will meet in Belgium
early next month to lay the groundwork for a conference in Spain on
raising money to help rebuild Iraq, a U.N. official said Friday.
Delegates from more than 50 countries are expected to attend the
later Oct. 23-24 gathering in Madrid of world governments interested
in contributing to the cost of Iraqi reconstruction.
A preparatory conference for the Madrid meeting will take place Sept.
3 in Brussels, U.N. chief spokesman Fred Eckhard said. . . .
Eckhard said work has almost been completed on the needs
assessment, which is being prepared by the the World Bank, the United
Nations and the International Monetary Fund with help from other
agencies and the European Union.
http://www.forbes.com/iraq/newswire/2003/08/22/rtr1064870.html *
Cf.
* Iraq: The United Nations Presence
The International Monetary Fund (IMF)
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is supporting
institution-building in Iraq and has sent a series of missions,
including on monetary matters and fiscal affairs, which have been
working on draft legislation for a new central bank law and bank
licensing, among others. The fiscal affairs group has also been
examining public expenditure management and development of a
consolidated budget framework. . . .
. . . Although Iraq does not have any outstanding loans from the IMF,
it does have arrears of close to $72 million. Fund officials have
been in regular contact with the Coalition Provisional Authority and
the people in the central bank of Iraq and the Finance Ministry, as
well as with donors or potential donors for a possible conference,
likely to be held in the next few months.
Although there is some concern about a lack of a formal relationship,
i.e., a recognized government, this has not precluded the IMF from
beginning the first step in institution-building. This is not unique,
however. Similar situations had been the case in the Balkans
following the conflict there, as well as in Afghanistan, where the
IMF had been working closely with the World Bank and UN
organizations, as well as other international bodies and Governments.
. . .
http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/section/080103_imf.asp *
* Financial Times (London)
August 22, 2003, Friday London Edition 2
SECTION: MIDDLE EAST AFRICA; Pg. 7
LENGTH: 526 words
HEADLINE: World Bank will complete cost assessment on time
BYLINE: By EDWARD ALDEN
DATELINE: WASHINGTON
BODY: The World Bank said yester-day it would still complete on time
a critical assessment of the costs of rebuilding Iraq's economy, in
spite of a decision to pull the bank's staff out of Baghdad following
Tuesday's lethal bomb attack. . . .
Joseph Saba, the World Bank's country director for Iraq, told
reporters yesterday that the decision to relocate staff to Amman, the
Jordanian capital, would not prevent the completion by the end of
September of a needs assessment for Iraq.
The assessment, which focuses on 14 sectors, will be the core
document for a conference of international donors in October that the
US is hoping will result in billions of dollars in new pledges for
rebuilding the country.
The fact that we took some efforts this week in the light of this
rather murderous blast to protect our employees does not mean in any
way that we have abandoned the purpose we set out for in Iraq, Mr
Saba said. . . .
The International Monetary Fund, which saw all six of its staff in
Iraq injured in the blast, said that it would continue work for the
moment from outside the country.
The World Bank has gone further in ending its presence in the country
entirely, removing all 15 staff. The bank said in a statement
yesterday that the evacuation would be temporary while it reassesses
the security situation.
The bank stands ready to return to Iraq when appropriate security
arrangements to ensure the safety of staff can be made, it said. . .
. *
--
Yoshie
* Bring Them Home Now! http://www.bringthemhomenow.org/
* Calendars of Events in Columbus:
http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/calendar.html,
http://www.freepress.org/calendar.php, http://www.cpanews.org/
* Student International Forum: http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/
* Committee for Justice in Palestine: http://www.osudivest.org/
* Al-Awda-Ohio: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Al-Awda-Ohio
* Solidarity: http://www.solidarity-us.org/
