Resumption of RI aid soon

Resumption of RI aid soon

WASHINGTON (AFP): The deputy head of the International Monetary Fund on Thursday said he hoped to see a resumption in IMF credits to Indonesia "in a matter of weeks."

IMF deputy managing director Stanley Fischer, speaking to journalists at a conference here, said the political outlook for the country could be "encouraging if there is political support for this government."

He was reacting to Wednesday's election by the Indonesian Consultative Assembly of President Abdurrahman Wahid and Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Fischer said he hoped to see a resumption in IMF assistance to Jakarta "relatively soon, in a matter of weeks."

IMF disbursements to Indonesia have been suspended since August. The Fund's managing director, Michel Camdessus, said recently that a resumption in loan installments would depend on events in East Timor, which voted August 30 to severe ties with Indonesia, and the resolution of a financial scandal at Bank Bali.