Sudan urges donors to resolve its debts crisis
March 19, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — Sudanese Minister of Finance and National Economy al-Zubair Ahmed Hassan Monday called on international donors to resolve what he called “the crisis of external debts” which his government is facing.
The Sudanese minister made the call when addressing the inaugural session of the second Sudan Consortium meeting opening in Khartoum in the day.
“The crisis of external debts is threatening the economic transformation in Sudan and blocking its development,” he said, adding that “this crisis must be resolved.”
Riek Mashar, the vice president of the government of southern Sudan, accused the international donors of delaying or even being unwilling to honor their commitments made during the conference they held in Oslo of Norway after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in January, 2006, to end the 21-year civil war in Sudan.
The donor countries have only paid 14 percent of the assistance being promised to help heal the wounds left by the war between the northern and southern parts of Sudan, Mashar said.
The second Sudan Consortium meeting, which is held under the chairmanship of the Sudanese government and the government of southern Sudan, brings together the UN, World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and international donors.
The participants of the meeting will examine the achievements to date, and challenges facing implementation of economic reforms, policy commitments, aid effectiveness and resource needs to support the recovery and development of Sudan.
After two days of discussions in Khartoum, the participants will move to Juba, the capital of southern Sudan on Wednesday to continue their meeting.
(Xinhua)