RUDING SAYS BANKS, DEBTORS SHOULD TAKE LEAD
Dutch Finance Minister Onno Ruding
said there was a growing feeling in the World Bank and the
International Monetary Fund that commercial banks and debtor
countries should take a greater lead in assembling new
financing packages.
    "The IMF and the Bank may be less inclined to put together
large packages like Mexico," Ruding told reporters in a briefing
on this week's semi-annual IMF and World Bank talks.
    Ruding, who is also chairman of the IMF's policy-making
Interim Committee, said he was reflecting a feeling within the
two institutions.
    Asked whether his comments reflected a feeling the
institutions were being unduly pressured by the Reagan
administration, Ruding replied "we should not go in the
direction of politicisation of the two institutions."
    Ruding said "no country large or small should push in that
direction."  He said he expected commercial bank lending to
debtors to come in for some criticism for the slow pace of
lending recently. Ruding also said he did not expect any major
initiatives to develop a larger commercial bank role in the
debt strategy or any new proposals for dealing with the debt
crisis itself.
    In other remarks, Ruding said many countries supported a
General Capital Increase for the World Bank and he expected
Bank president Barber Conable also to express his support.
    The U.S. has said it is opposed to a GCI at present.
    Ruding said the Interim Committee Communique would support
the use of indicators to assist multilateral surveillance but
would stop short of supporting U.S. proposals for automatic
consultations if indicators were sharply out of line with
policy objectives. Monetary sources say the U.S. has suggested
establishing "norms" or automatic triggers for consultations
among industrial states if policies deviate from plan.
    Currently the plan also has the support of France, the
Netherlands and Italy while Britain, Japan and West Germany are
all opposed.
 Reuter
