17 December 2003 11:32
The Paris Club of creditor nations will discuss debt relief to Iraq and it must be studied from various viewpoints, including Iraq`s repayment capability, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said Wednesday.
Asked how Japan and other major creditor nations will deal with the issue, Fukuda stopped short of making a clear
comment. "Such creditor nations cannot be excluded," Fukuda said. Fukuda made the remarks a day after Germany,
France and the United States agreed to offer substantial debt relief to Iraq. The U.S. puts the size of Iraq's
external debts, including those owed to businesses, at an estimated $120 billion. Japan is the biggest creditor nation
to Iraq with $4.1 billion in official claims, followed by Russia with $3.5 billion, France with $3 billion, Germany with
$2.4 billion and the U.S. with $2.2 billion.
[AIW [Asia Africa Intelligence Wire]] |
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