[stop-imf] World Bank and IMF Meetings -- Interviews Available

[Robert Weissman]

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-------- Original Message --------
Subject: * Earth Day * World Bank and IMF Meetings --
         InterviewsAvailable
   Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2004 01:13:12 -0500
   From: Institute for Public Accuracy <dcinstitute@igc.org>
     To: mediagen@lists.accuracy.org,
         mediafp@lists.accuracy.org,mediale@lists.accuracy.org,
         mediaeb@lists.accuracy.org,mediaen@lists.accuracy.org

Institute for Public Accuracy
915 National Press Building, Washington, D.C. 20045
(202) 347-0020 * http://www.accuracy.org * ipa@accuracy.org
___________________________________________________

Thursday, April 22, 2004

Interviews Available:

* Earth Day   * World Bank and IMF Meetings

BERN JOHNSON, (541) 687-8454 ext 17, cell: (541) 953-3817,
bern@elaw.org, http://www.elaw.org
Today is Earth Day. Johnson is the executive director of the U.S. office
of the Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide, which works with activist
attorneys in 60 countries to protect the environment through law. He
said today: "Not only has the current administration abandoned
environmental protection at home, but it is pressuring other countries
to weaken environmental protections...."

KIMBERLY LARSON, (213) 251-3688 ext 323, (206) 357-1788,
klarson@pirg.org, http://www.environmentcalifornia.org
Deputy political director of State Public Interest Research Groups,
Larson said today: "Los Angeles has the largest municipal utility in the
country and only 3 percent comes from renewable energy; over 50 percent
comes from coal." She helped organize a recent letter signed by 15
prominent members of the entertainment industry calling on Los Angeles
to have 20 percent renewable energy by 2017, a goal set by the state.

COLLINS MAGALASI and MARIE CLARKE, cell: (202) 255-7849,
mejn@sdnp.org.mw, http://www.mejn.org.mw, marie@jubileeusa.org,
http://www.jubileeusa.org
National coordinator of the Malawi Economic Justice Network, Magalasi is
in D.C. for the next several days as the World Bank and International
Monetary Fund have their spring meetings this weekend and various groups
organize educational events and protests. He said today: "We're calling
for debt cancellation on the IMF and World Bank's 60th anniversary.
Malawi receives $90 million in aid each year but pays out $162 million
in debt service to the IMF, World Bank and other wealthy creditors.
Africa pays out $15 billion each year in debt service to the IMF, World
Bank and other wealthy creditors, which is more than it receives in aid,
loans or investment." Clarke is national coordinator of Jubilee USA, the
U.S. arm of the international movement for debt cancellation.

NANCY ALEXANDER, ROBERTO BISSIO and SHALMALI GUTTAL, cell: (301)
270-1000, ncalexander@igc.org, www.servicesforall.org,
http://www.socwatch.org.uy/en, http://www.focusweb.org
Based in India, Guttal is coordinator of Focus on the Global South. She
has lived in Laos and Cambodia and will be arriving in D.C. late
Thursday. Bissio is executive director of Social Watch, an organization
based in Uruguay focusing on poverty eradication and gender equality.
Director of the Citizens' Network on Essential Services, Alexander said
today: "The IMF and World Bank push countries toward economic
liberalization and privatization of essential services like health,
water and electricity. Often, they promote these policies in the absence
of regulation. The IMF and World Bank undercut democratic processes when
they enter into agreements with finance ministries behind closed doors.
Parliaments and citizens are often asked to 'rubber stamp' the policies
that the World Bank and the IMF are willing to finance. Many countries
desperately need lines of credit to these institutions in order to
service their huge debts. When the IMF and World Bank blackball a
government, it is left to 'swing in the breeze,' cut off from most
finance. Hence, most governments decide to stay in their good graces."

For more information, contact at the Institute for Public Accuracy
Sam Husseini, (202) 347-0020 or (202) 421-6858; David Zupan, (541)
484-9167
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