MEDIA REACTION ON IMF, AUGUST 4, 2003

UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 001850

SIPDIS

FOR WHA/PDA (OHILTON),WHA/CEN, PD TASK FORCE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OIIP PREL KPAO PGOV IZ HO
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON IMF, AUGUST 4, 2003



1. Op-ed by Roberto C. Ordoez in Tegucigalpa-based liberal daily
"La Tribuna" on 8/4 entitled "What does the Fund want?". "The
last Letter of Intent of the Honduran government with the IMF was
signed by the Carlos Flores administration. In September 2001,
the IMF unilaterally broke the agreement when they proved that
none of the promises we made to tighten our belt had been
fulfilled. The current administration has been unable to sign any
Letter because, according to key public officials, the figures
the IMF used to reach the last agreement were inaccurate, which
is yet to be proved."

"The omnipotent IMF is the key to opening the gates of
international funding. Without their blessing, there's no debt
relief or new loans. What it wants is to reinvent the
governments. It's the only way to please it, because our current
governmental model is about to collapse, but with a bureaucracy
that still wants a large piece of the budget."


Pierce