TUNIS — Tunisia and the International Monetary Fund
made "good progress" in talks over a potential multi-billion-dollar
bailout for the country's crisis-hit economy, the lender said Wednesday.
اضافة اعلان
The North African country is seeking urgent help for an
economy plagued by low growth, as well as high public debt, inflation and
unemployment.
The Washington-based IMF has called for "deep
reforms" and public spending cuts.
The two sides on Tuesday concluded days of online meetings
aimed at understanding the Tunisian government's reform program.
The IMF's Tunisia chief Chris Geiregat praised their
"excellent collaboration".
"We made good progress and will continue our
discussions in the weeks ahead," he said.
The IMF has previously voiced concern over Tunisia's budget
deficits and in particular its public sector wage bill.
Tunisia's President Kais Saied, who suspended parliament and
seized sweeping powers last summer, has said little about any planned economic
strategy.
But Tunisia's powerful UGTT trade union confederation is
expected to push back hard against any proposed austerity measures.
Read more Region and World
.jpg)
.jpg)
