As Inzko Cites Failures in Bosnia & Republika Srpska, Of Tobacco Tax & IMF Freeze

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 15 -- Amid counter charges in the UN Security Council on May 15 about who's to blame for problems in Bosnia, it's worth nothing that the country's International Monetary Fund program got frozen as well. On May 8 Inner City Press asked IMF spokesperson Gerry Rice:

Inner City Press: What steps would the IMF require to unfreeze the next tranche of its standby program? Does the IMF have any comment on the Federation's May 6th auction of six month Treasury Bills?

IMF Spokesperson Rice: "The fifth review under Bosnia's and Herzegovina's standby arrangement was completed in January 2014. For the next review, the sixth review, while the authorities implemented measures that had been agreed to improve revenue collection and budget processes, the decision by the Parliament to delay consideration of legislation, to harmonize excises on different tobacco products precluded the completion of the review, and the disbursement of the next tranche.

"Since this has delayed the completion of the sixth review, a staff team will go back to Bosnia and Herzegovina later this month for discussions on what will now be the combined sixth and seventh reviews. Then, just to answer the question, in order for us to be able to take the combined reviews forward, full implementation of the prior actions for the sixth review would be needed, notably again, the harmonization of those excises on different tobacco products, and a comprehensive sharing of tax payer information between the four tax agencies to help improve compliance."

   On May 15 amid all of  High Representative for BiH Valentin Inzko's criticism in the Security Council, about calls for secession in Republika Srpska, he did not mention this failure too. There was a call to “draw down” his apparatus. It ends with a whimper, not a bang. 

  The IMF's spokesperson Rice's answer was long, so we uploaded the video here, filmed from the IMF webcast while at the UN Security Council stakeout:

Inner City Press also asked Gerry Rice and the IMF:

  In Pakistan, PTI Information Secretary KPK and MNA Ayesha Gulalai has said, “it is very unfortunate that Pakistan's budget is being prepared by the IMF in Dubai.. instead of taxing the 4 million wealthy identified by the FBR, burden is being passed on to the already burdened masses.” What is the IMF's response?

  On Madagascar, when George Tsibouris on May 6 said the government agreed to "address the issue of fuel price subsidies over time," can you be more specific on how much time the IMF envisions? Also, can the IMF be more specific about what is referred to by "creating a level playing field for the private sector"?

  While the Managing Director is in Morocco, can you answer if Western Sahara is included by the IMF in Morocco's data, and what impact the IMF believes the Western Sahara issue has on Morocco's economy and economic prospects?

This last one, Inner City Press also asked two weeks ago, and again more recently on connection with the IMF's Ukraine program. Watch this site.

   

Republika Srpska Report to UN, UNcirculated, Talks of IMF Loan Delay, Trashes Inzko

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 14 -- When Bosnia and Herzegovina are on the Security Council's agenda, and High Representative Valentin Inzko comes to brief, Republika Srpska files its own reports with Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who declines to circulate them.

  Inner City Press has obtained a copy of Republika Srpska's most recent report, dated May 8, 2013.

  Among with bragging about its anti-corruption chops, and trashing High Representative Valentin Inzko, Republika Srpska blames the FBiH for flubbing an International Monetary Fund loan:

"Not for the first time, the FBiH’s lack of fiscal discipline has badly delayed the disbursement of vital IMF loans to both the FBiH and the RS. On 27 February, the IMF said it would not sign off on the next tranche of its loan to BiH until the FBiH adopted a comprehensive law that regulates retirement, including the issue of veterans... IMF mission head Ron van Rooden 'made clear the onus was on the Federation parliament.' The FBiH’s inability or unwillingness to act on this issue held hostage disbursement of a loan that is crucial to both the FBiH and the RS. It was not until 15 April that the FBiH Parliament finally adopted the necessary law."

And now, what with the IMF? We'll see.

For Palestine in UN SC Only 6 Votes, Sources Say, Mere Update in 2 Weeks

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive
UNITED NATIONS, September 30 -- For Palestine on Friday in the UN Security Council's Committee on Admission of New Members there were only six of the fifteen members who wanted to push forward on Palestine's application for full UN membership.
With this surprisingly low vote count, the majority decided that the Committee will meet at a lower level, and merely "update" the Security Council in about two weeks.
There is, sources told Inner City Press, no assurance even of a formal or listed meeting about the update; it could be quietly done under "Other Matters."
A source in the meeting told Inner City Press that it was not only power, but numbers. Of the nine Council members which have recognized Palestine, three have been viewed as shaky: Nigeria, Gabon and Bosnia, due to the Republika Srpska portion of its government.
For the pro-Palestinian membership vote count to be only six at Friday's meeting, it means that all three broke the other way. Some insisted that they support Palestine "in principle" -- but as one of the stronger six supporters put it, it comes down to supporting a piece of paper, and for that there were only six.
Palestinian Observer Riyad Mansour came to the stakeout and made a statement in English, then as journalists tried to ask questions Mansour himself asked, "Arabic? Doesn't anyone read Arabic?" He then repeated the statement in Arabic and left without taking any questions.
While Gabon has not filed a "reservation" to the Group of 77's statement in support of Palestine, it may be a question of when, not if.
Non-Council member Barbados on Friday at noon confirmed Inner City Press' earlier exclusive story that Barbados is among the countries that has formally filed reservations to Paragraph 108 of the G-77 Statement, and named Antigua (and Barbuda) as another that has expressed reservations. We'll have more on this.
Abbas at GA on filing day, SC vote count of only six not shown
Some of those in the Council bringing about this special "legal" delay -- a review of the Charter by experts that one of the six strong supporters of Palestine called entirely unnecessary -- say the delay is for the Middle East Quartet process. On Friday before Mansour spoke but did not take questions, Inner City Press asked UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Martin Nesirky who reviews Quartet envoy Tony Blair's conflicts of interest, working for JP Morgan Chase and the Quartet. "Not the UN," Nesirky said, urging Inner City Press to ask Tony Blair or the other Quartet participants. Watch this site.