Saturday, May 19, 2012

IMF Ignores Spanish Bankia Protests, No Answer on Sudan or Post-Coup Mali

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 17 -- Amid taxpayers' bailout of banks, opposed most recently by social movements in Spain with regard to Bankia, the International Monetary Fund praises the bailouts and ignores the opposition, as it pretends not to do for example in Egypt.

  On May 17 Inner City Press submitted to the IMF's biweekly briefing this, as one of four questions:

"On Spain, does the IMF have any views of the moves to organize a run on the troubled Spanish lender Bankia SA?"

  The sum total of what IMF deputy spokesman David Hawley said during the briefing, embargoed until 10:30 am, was that Managing Director Christine Lagarde had praise the actions of the Spanish authorities, which included a 40% nationalization of Bankia. There was no response to the protests.

  Inner City Press also asked, so far without answer:

What is the status of IMF programs in and reviews of Mali and Guinea Bissau, given coups in each country?

In Kosovo, has the 107 million Euros been formally committed, or are additional steps required of the Kosovar authorities?

Again, what is the IMF doing on or about the Sudan - South Sudan oil transfer fee dispute, and about any debt relief for Sudan?

  Two weeks ago, while lead IMF spokesman Gerry Rice did answer one of Inner City Press' questions, after the briefing another IMF spokesperson promised a substantive answer on the Sudan oil transfer fee question, which Inner City Press has sought since directly asking the IMF's Masood Ahmed at the IMF's Spring Meeting in April. Still, it has not been received. Watch this site.