UNITED NATIONS, April 1 -- The IMF remains a palace of spin. On most questions, IMF staff refer back to earlier evasive statements by "the Managing Director" Dominique Strauss-Kahn, which are even less responsive to the resulting follow-up questions. Thursday this happened on Haiti and the "green fund" proposal, while a timely submitted question about Jamaica wasn't even taken.
On March 31 at the UN in New York, Inner City Press asked Strauss-Kahn why the IMF had not yet forgiven Haiti's debt, and about the negative impacts of previous IMF conditionalities on Haiti, destroying among other things its rice industry. Strauss-Kahn's vague answer to the first question, and dismissive rejection of the latter, were reported yesterday.
As luck would have it, the IMF had its bi-weekly press briefing on April 1. Inner City Press asked, and IMF spokesman Gerry Rice read out in full without attribution, "At the UN yesterday Mr. Strauss-Kahn said that the IMF has yet to forgive Haiti's debt. By contrast, the IADB has already forgiven $479 million. Can you explain the IMF's delay, and exactly what Executive Board meeting it will be, when Strauss-Kahn will actually propose forgiving Haiti's debt?"
Thereupon Mr. Rice said, "I'd like to refer you to the statement we issued yesterday for the Managing Director" that IMF staff is preparing a framework for the Executive Board on the issue of Haitian debt relief.
But this does not, as request, say which Executive Board meeting Strauss Kahn is aiming at, nor does it explain the IADB's relative speed. The IADB's representative told Inner City Press the IADB could move fast because foreign ministers met in Cancun. But there have been IMF Executive Board meetings since the Haitian earthquake.
Inner City Press asked Rice to "confirm or deny" a media account that "member countries of the International Monetary Fund thumbed down March 25 a proposal to gather $100 billion a year starting 2020 to help poor nations adapt to the effects of climate change."
Rice putted out an "if-asked" sheet of paper and said that "as the Managing Director has repeatedly said, climate change is in important issue."
He then said that the IMF staff position published is an idea "purely for consideration by the international community," the IMF's "contribution to the broader public debate." With contributions like that, and (for now) $2.25, you can get on the subway in New York.
Inner City Press thrice submitted, but got no acknowledgement of much less answer to, this question: "Jamaica's finance minister has said the country has "met all of the IMF's conditions." Is that accurate? What happens next?" Watch this site.
From the IMF's transcript:
INNER CITY PRESS ONLINE QUESTIONER: At the U.N. yesterday, Mr. Strauss-Kahn said that the IMF has yet to forgive Haiti’s debt. By contrast, the IABD has already forgiven $479 million. Can you explain the IMF’s delay and exactly what Executive Board Meeting it will be when Mr. Strauss-Kahn will actually propose forgiving Haiti’s debt?
MR. RICE: In response to this question, I’d really like to refer you to the statement that we issued yesterday from the Managing Director when he attended the high-level conference in New York City. And on the issue of debt relief, what he had said was that there was a framework--staff was preparing a framework to be put forward for consideration by the IMF Executive Board on the issue of debt relief and the IMF...
INNER CITY PRESS ONLINE QUESTIONER: Can you please confirm or deny that member countries of the IMF thumbed down on March 25 a proposal to gather USD100 billion a year starting 2020 to help poor nations adapt to the effects of climate change?
MR. RICE: On this one, what I’d like to say is as the Managing Director has said many times, climate change is an important issue of global concern. Our contribution is that we look to the particular issue of how to help developing countries finance the challenges posed by climate change. And the recently published staff position note outlined a potential staff proposal, and the ideas set out in this note are being offered purely for consideration by the international community and as a contribution to the broader public debate.
And see, www.innercitypress.com/imf1greenjam040110.html