Limba romana

IMF WILL NAME NO SUCCESSOR TO OUTGOING RESIDENT
REPRESENTATIVE TO MOLDOVA FOR TIME BEING

Chisinau-26.02.2002/10:43:30/(BASA-economic) The International
Monetary Fund (IMF) will name no successor in Moldova to outgoing
Resident Representative Hassan Al-Atrash.

"This is about a technical problem," stated Al-Atrash. The IMF is
conducting a contest for the post, and the delayed appointment of
a new permanent mission head has nothing to do with the current
relations between the Fund and Moldova.

Meanwhile, many analysts consider that this news is a signal for
the communist authorities of Moldova, given the fact that some
initiatives and actions of the Chisinau government contravene a
number of international commitments.

Al-Atrash will leave Moldova for Washington D.C. on Wednesday. He
will fill in a post in the IMF Headquarters. During the vacancy of
the post in Chisinau, the ties between the Fund and Moldova will be
administrated by the central office of the organisation.

In an interview to BASA, Al-Atrash stated: "I am probably less
optimistic than when I first came here. As you know my predecessor
had the same views, when he left he was downbeat, and when I am
leaving I also feel I am downbeat. The problem is I think the much
resistance to change; [that is] one. The vested interests are very
hard, in particular in the energy sector. Secondly, there is no
consensus on reforms. Three, I think there is also a capacity
constraint problem, a lot of good people are not working in public
service.

"Four: there has been some political instability, I mean in my
three years here I dealt with three governments, two presidents and
two parliaments. But I thing the biggest problem as far as I see is
no initiative of reforms. When I read from press reports that some
official says 'we did this because your Fund told us to do', I
shiver because I know it will not be successful. Externally imposed
reforms will not succeed, if the people don't believe in them."

"I think that the problem in Moldova is that the authorities, not
only the current ones, but also the previous authorities, see the
program with the Fund as a door to extra-financing, but I don't
think they see it as something useful in itself," the outgoing
resident representative of the IMF said.
 

FUNCTIA DE REPREZENTANT PERMANENT AL FMI IN MOLDOVA VA
RAMANE VACANTA O ANUMITA VREME

Chisinau-26.02.2002/10:27:51/(BASA-economic) Dupa incheierea
mandatului reprezentantului permanent al Fondului Monetar
International in Moldova Hassan Al-Atrash, aceasta functie va
ramane vacanta o anumita vreme.

"E vorba de o problema tehnica", a declarat Hassan Al-Atrash.
Fondul a desfasurat un concurs de selectare a rezidentului FMI la
Chisinau, insa desemnarea lui in functie a fost amanata din motive,
ce nu au nici o legatura cu relatiile dintre Fond si Republica
Moldova.

Mai multi analisti sunt insa de parerea ca vacanta functiei este un
semnal pentru autoritatile moldovene in conditiile in care unele
initiative si actiuni ale acesteia contravin angajamentelor
asumate fata de creditorii externi.

Hassan Al-Atrash va pleca maine de la Chisinau spre Washington,
unde va ocupa o functie in oficiul Fondului Monetar International.
¿n timpul vacantei functiei relatiile intre FMI si Chisinau vor
fi administrate din oficiul central al Fondului.

Solicitat de BASA-press, Hassan Al-Atrash a spus ca este mai putin
optimist decat atunci cand a venit, in octombrie 1999, in
Moldova.

"Problema principala e ca exista o rezistenta mare fata de
schimbari. Interesele sunt foarte mari, in special in domeniul
energetic. Nu exista un consens asupra reformelor. Mai este si o
problema de capacitate, foarte multi oameni buni si capabili nu
lucreaza in sectorul public. Exista problema instabilitatii
politice. Timp de trei ani, cat m-am aflat in Moldova, am lucrat cu
trei guverne, doua parlamente si doi presedinti de tara, a spus
reprezentantul permanent al FMI.

¿nsa cea mai mare problema "este ca nu exista o constientizare a
reformelor".

"Problema Moldovei este ca autoritatile tarii, ma refer nu numai la
acele actuale, dar in genere la toate cate au existat, vad
programul cu Fondul ca o usa spre o alta finantare externa, dar nu
considera aceste programe ca ceva bun in sine. De aceea, probabil,
incearca sa faca minimul posibil pentru a primi banii sau a avea
acest program, fara a tine cont de situatia generala", a mai spus
Hassan Al-Atrash.