Former US President Jimmy Carter (1977-80) called on the international community Thursday to forgive Sudan’s stunning (svimlende) 39 billion US dollar debt burden so that dividing the huge country between the north and south will not become another issue to resolve after Southern Sudan likely votes to become its own nation.
The presidents of Sudan and Southern Sudan “both hope the entire debt will be forgiven without getting them in another unnecessary argument about who has what percentage of the debt,” Carter said.
– There is maybe 39 billion of debt and the World Bank tells us that maybe 30 billion of that is in arrears (i restance). That is a very serious burden, Carter said, pointing to the huge costs of partition for both new nations as they seek to heal the wounds of a devastating 22-year civil war.
Khartoum’s accumulated debt and international isolation have choked its sources of external financing, with the US in November extending economic sanctions first imposed in 1997 for at least another year.
Washington has said it will begin easing some of the sanctions if Khartoum recognizes the outcome of the southern independence vote.
Kilde: www.worldbank.org
