30832: Ricker response (30797: Leiderman) (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

tomr@quixote.org

Quickly on the debt legislation: HR2634 is a bill - the Jubilee Act - and if 
passed would constitute a new legal framework on debt - it is NOT a resolution, 
but binding legislation. It includes Haiti and many other countries. HRES241 is 
the current resolution that concerns debt cancellation for Haiti only - modeled 
after HRES 888 from our previous congress (the bill number in the forwarded 
alert was the old one). HRES 241 has 61 co-sponsors and a modest chance of 
actually getting a vote in the Fall.

For more about the Jubilee Act and activities related to it during September 
and October - www.jubileeusa.org

As to what the government of Haiti would commit savings from debt payments to, 
that is still being worked out -though some indications are available in the 
form of the Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Plan that was drafted as a 
precondition for getting interim debt relief under the HIPC initiative. This 
"plan" outlines how the government would use interim relief and is a pretty 
good guide to how the full debt savings would be used. The final "plan" is 
currently being discussed by government ministries and some (mostly only elite) 
NGOs. The interim plan can be read at the World Bank website.

http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2006/11/21/000090341_20061121104634/Rendered/PDF/37890.pdf

It is important to note that the government of Haiti has many limitations on 
how they can use debt savings - and they must all fall within the market mantra 
of the World Bank and IMF. Also, there are several other hurdles built into the 
"debt relief process" (e.g. mandates for institutional reforms -the current 
Teleco situation being a precursor to what this will mean for other public 
sectors and employees) It is therefore doubtful that the plan for use of debt 
savings will be incredibly original or constitute a major break through - at 
least as long as it has to conform to the Washington Consensus....but there 
will be a "plan"