USA: HORST KOEHLER CANDIDATE TO HEAD THE IMF

Описание: (17 Mar 2000) English/Nat

Horst Koehler, the man tipped to head the International Monetary Fund, was in Washington D-C on Wednesday for a round of talks with the Clinton administration.

He's the second official candidate put forward by the German government after Caio Koch-Weser was rejected by the U-S for lacking sufficient stature.

The I-M-F's 24-member executive board is expected to move quickly to endorse Koehler.

Horst Koehler was already laying out his priorities should he be given the final nod as head of the I-M-F.

Horst Koehler said he's looking forward to heading the I-M-F and will make Russia one of his priorities.

Koehler met recently with Russia's acting president Vladimir Putin.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"I recalled that the reform process in Russia is not strong enough and that's the main cause of the difficulties in Russia. Mr Putin clearly admitted that is right and he outlined that in his view Russia needs to have a strong state. I confirmed that is right in terms of bringing more predictability to this state and country but in the end we will have to wait on concrete deeds and not just listen to words because this is what counts. But I think we should give Mr Putin the benefit of the doubt to work together, and I do think in the case I'm elected managing director of the IMF, I'm open for a constructive dialogue with Mr. Putin."
SUPER CAPTION: Horst Koehler, Candidate for Managing Director of IMF

Koehler also said the issues of debt reduction and relief combined with growth of developing nations are necessary in order for the I-M-F to succeed.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"I do think that debt reduction, debt relief is and can be and should be an element of a global strategy to secure global growth and also to fight poverty, but debt relief or debt reduction without growth, micro-economic stability and structural reforms makes no sense. So it has to be combined and I have a bit of a concern that this discussion about debt relief and debt reduction is not strongly enough combined with reforms, with micro-economic stability."
SUPER CAPTION: Horst Koehler, Candidate for Managing Director of IMF

By unwritten rules over the past half-century, the I-M-F job has always been held by a European, while an American has occupied the top job at the World Bank.

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