The Hindu : World Bank team for Iraq

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 15, 2003

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World Bank team for Iraq

WASHINGTON APRIL 14. The World Bank said it would send a technical team to Iraq to assess the task of rebuilding the economy but the news came amid criticism that a weekend of meetings had focused too much on Iraq and overlooked poor countries.

After a week of debate, the World Bank President James Wolfensohn said yesterday bank shareholders decided at a committee meeting the institution should send a technical assistance team to Iraq to assess the task of reconstructing the economy. He did not indicate when such a visit would take place.

"We were so authorised (on Iraq) ... they made clear that that was what they had in mind,'' Mr. Wolfensohn told a press briefing after a development committee meeting of the bank's shareholders. "`There isn't any doubt about it.''

Mr. Wolfensohn said repeatedly last week he had not had any request from the bank's 184 shareholders to get involved in rebuilding Iraq and was waiting to be asked before acting.

But it was unclear if there was agreement among members as to whether the mission would go before or after it has been decided how the United Nations would be involved in the reconstruction effort.— Reuters

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