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[ Presenting plain-text part of multi-format email ] Below are the latest statements on Iraq's debt from the IMF/WB meetings in Washington. French, Germans and Russians please lobby your governments and help with the campaign www.jubileeiraq.org <http://www.jubileeiraq.org/> I'm also trying to think of champions to recruit in the Middle East to pressure the Arab creditors to support debt forgiveness for Iraq. Prince Hassan of Jordan sprang to mind as someone with moral authority in both the West and Middle East. Any other ideas of people we could recruit? Religious leaders in Mecca & Medina or from the Egyptian Madrassas? Let me know if you have any ideas. Justin Statements on debt Saturday 12th April Andrei Illarionov (an economic adviser to Putin) told <http://reuters.com/financeNewsArticle.jhtml?type=bondsNews&storyID=2554 871> Reuters that no country is seriously talking about writing off Iraq's debt. "I haven't heard anybody seriously discussing the possibility of writing the Iraqi debt off. The Paris Club is not about writing off, it's not about reduction. It's about how particular countries can and should service their debt and different mechanisms can be used to persuade a country's creditors to do it in a timely and appropriate manner. It is very well known that Iraq is not a less developed country so that the procedures [e.g. 'Cologne terms' 90% write off - JI] that would be applied to a lesser developed country can hardly be applied to Iraq" he said. Russia itself went to the Paris Club of creditors after its economic collapse in 1998, but only received a rescheduled over 19 years period with two years of grace. The International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) said: "It is important to address the debt issue, and we look forward to early engagement of the Paris Club (group of creditor nations)." Reuters <http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=2554895> A UN Security Council resolution to rebuild Iraq is <http://www.newsday.com/business/nationworld/ats-ap_business10apr13,0,66 43631.story?coll=sns-business-headlines> likely after the US dropped its insistence that it could initiate IMF and World Bank action without one. John Snow (US Treasury Secretary) said <http://www.spacewar.com/2003/030412214246.zvvju6oj.html> that G7 officials "began substantive discussions about how our nations and the international institutions can work together to help the Iraqi people recover -- not just from 25 days of conflict, but from 25 years of economic misrule." The ministers "had useful discussions about how to proceed with the Iraqi debt -- recognizing that the Iraqi people cannot bear the burden of current debt levels -- and we recognize the need of the Paris Club to begin to address this issue." Hans Eichel (German Finance Minister) said <http://www.spacewar.com/2003/030412214246.zvvju6oj.html> his country was not prepared to start writing off its Iraqi debt. "We do not only expect to get our money, we will get our money back. If a country has the possibility of repaying its debt, it must do so." Francis Mer (French Finance Minister) said <http://www.spacewar.com/2003/030412214246.zvvju6oj.html> "One does not clear the slate (but) this (debt) can be progressively renegotiated. This does not mean ... that the past must be forgotten and that the debts of a country should be dropped after a change in government." Horst Kohler (IMF Managing Director) said <http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20030412-071622-4619r.htm> that it was still "premature" to discuss restructuring or forgiving some of Iraq's foreign debt. "We need to know the numbers." _______________________________________________ Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk