By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Video Podcast
BBC - Guardian UK - Honduras - ESPN
SDNY COURTHOUSE, Oct 21 – When the International Monetary Fund during its Annual Meetings held its Africa Regional Outlook press conference, Inner City Press by WebEx asked questions on Cameroon and the International Court of Justice decision on the Somalia and Kenya maritime dispute. Video here.
The IMF's Abebe Aemro Selassie said the Fund is seeking transparency on how money is spent and with whom. He deferred on the Court's decision (and recused himself on Ethiopia, on which Inner City Press was also prepared to ask). IMF transcript will be on IMF.org.
The IMF at its biweekly embargoed press briefing on September 16, Inner City Press asked about crypto-currency legislation in Ukraine and again El Salvador, about the coup in Guinea and the role of the Venezuela talks in Mexico on release of the SDRs. IMF video and transcript forthcoming. Spokesperson Gerry Rice responded on each. Podcast here. Short video of Qs on Twitter here. Now longer YouTube of IMF video here.
Full transcript here.
Inner City Press asked, " what is the IMF's view of Ukraine's move to regulate crypto-currency? Also, the new legislation proposed in Panama, and the implementation of the El Salvador Bitcoin as legal tender bill?" When called on, Inner City Press added that Ukraine would use nuclear reactors' output for mining.
Rice cited an upcoming virtual mission to Ukraine later this month, and said that on El Salvador, the talks are under Article 4, not for a program, as least at this point.
On the Guinea coup, on which the UN of Antonio Guterres has refused to answer Inner City Press' questions, to the IMF Inner City Press asked, " After the coup in Guinea, what has changed in the IMF's approach to the country? What have been the contacts of the IMF in Guinea recently? Same question on Myanmar, and Afghanistan." Rice said the IMF is "watching" Guinea, after citing previous support to the country for COVID response.
Inner City Press asked, "On Venezuela, what is the impact of the talks in Mexico, and the involvement of the opposition, in the IMF's recent announcement?" Rice said that given uncertainty, right now the SRDs cannot be drawn down. He repeated the same on Afghanistan.
Again, transcript will be on the IMF's website. But how can the UN get away with not answering, and actively blocking, these questions? The IMF will go to Guterres' UNGA week, which is thumbing its nose at NYC with no vaccination requirement. We'll have more on this.
Back on January 8 Inner City Press asked the IMF's Helge Berger, Mission Chief, about China's so-called Belt and Road Initiative: "Your Article IV report cites China's "overseas lending projects" amid "rising geopolitical tensions and economic and trade frictions." How does the IMF think that rising debt levels among African countries, and increased skepticism about the "Belt and Road" will impact or be addressed going forward? -Matthew Russell Lee, Inner City Press. Video here.
(An aside: Inner City Press has reported on the CEFC China Energy Fund Committee's activities in Chad and Uganda and in the UN, on which the UN is UNresponsive.)
Other questions included China's digital currency (Inner City Press also reports on crypto-currency cases in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and elsewhere). Berger said when used overseas an issue is that residents could start using another country's currency, if it is easier.
We'll have more on this.
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