Tunisian authorities have made “very good progress” on the steps needed to approach the International Monetary Fund’s board for approval of a loan program, according to the lender’s chief.
(Bloomberg) — Tunisian authorities have made “very good progress” on the steps needed to approach the International Monetary Fund’s board for approval of a loan program, according to the lender’s chief.
Speaking in an interview with Asharq on Tuesday, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said she expects “to see in the next weeks — not months — a conclusion of the remaining actions so we can go to the board and Tunisia can get the support from the IMF and from its partners that are affiliated with this program.”
Georgieva also said the IMF has “heard from the friends of Tunisia that the financial support for Tunisia is forthcoming.”
In December, the IMF postponed a meeting of its executive board to review an agreement that its staffers reached two months earlier with Tunisian authorities on a four-year, $1.9 billion loan.
Concerns over Tunisia’s access to financing have intensified since authorities didn’t engage in dialogue with a powerful trade union over what the IMF program would imply in terms of spending and job cuts.
–With assistance from Souhail Karam.
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