VOA标准英语10月-Reluctant Pakistan Considers IMF Loan to Avoid De

Pakistan holds talks this week with the International Monetary¹ Fund about what is expected to be an estimated $10 billion bailout package. With foreign currency reserves dwindling² and the rupee trading at all time lows against the dollar, Pakistan is in danger of defaulting on its debt. VOA's Barry Newhouse reports from Islamabad that the country's traditional donors⁴ are not offering any immediate⁵ aid.

Pakistani officials say that because of the country's central role in the war against terrorism, shoring up its economy is an international priority.
　

Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the Foreign Minster of Pakistan, is seen at United Nations Headquarters in New York (File)

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told reporters this week in Islamabad that he was optimistic the international community would come to Pakistan's aid.

"The world is recognizing Pakistan's role to keep the world peaceful and secure and also recognizing the economic challenges and the human price Pakistan has paid to make the world a safer place," said Qureshi. "And the democratic government of Pakistan is projecting Pakistan's case on that platform."

But the country's traditional donors have not stepped-in to help. Last week, President Asif Zardari returned from China with pledges to help construct two nuclear power plants - but no direct aid. This week, the "Friends of Pakistan" meeting of several wealthy nations including the United States and Saudi Arabia, produced no plans to address the immediate problem of servicing Pakistan's debt.

Former finance minister Zubair Khan says inaction by the current government and the global financial crisis have left Pakistan few options for meeting its estimated $3 billion in upcoming debt payments.

"The worldwide financial crisis has already put strains on potential donor³ countries. Secondly⁶, Pakistan has not come up with a viable⁷ economic program, which they would be ready to support," said Zubair. "I do not think anyone is ready to give just pure cash to Pakistan to do whatever it likes with it."

Zubair says seeking money from the IMF will force Pakistan's government to adopt badly needed financial reforms that should lead to longer-term financial stability.

But officials have been reluctant to apply for politically-unpopular IMF aid because its stringent⁸ financial conditions could hurt Pakistanis already reeling from high food and energy prices.

Sartaj Aziz, who served as finance minister under Nawaz Sharif in the 1990s, says an IMF loan could push the rupee even lower against the dollar, drive up unemployment and further raise utility prices. He says if officials can secure enough money from somewhere else to meet upcoming debt payments, Pakistan may be able to stabilize⁹ itself in the next year.

He says right now the problem is short term, because if there is the expected bumper¹⁰ food crop this year and oil prices stay low, then next year Pakistan can be out of the crisis.

Sartaj said one of the country's last opportunities to avoid accepting an IMF package appears to be President Zardari's trip to Saudi Arabia scheduled for the first week of November.

Saudi Arabia has already turned down requests to postpone¹¹ payments for oil imports, casting doubt on the country's willingness to provide immediate aid.

Economists¹² say Pakistan's financial problems have been developing for several years, but the seven-month-old government has done little to address them since taking office.

Now, facing a growing Taliban insurgency¹³ along its Afghan border and a gloomy international financial climate, Zubair Khan says the government may have no other choice but to accept the hardships of an IMF loan.

"It was mostly for political reasons that they were trying to avoid going to the IMF, but now the time of reckoning has come and they have to go there," said Zubair Khan.

Pakistani officials are meeting with IMF representatives this week in Dubai. Pakistan's finance ministry¹⁴ said IMF officials were scheduled to meet in Pakistan, but changed the venue¹⁵ because of security concerns.

1 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

2 dwindling   

adj.逐渐减少的v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The number of wild animals on the earth is dwindling. 地球上野生动物的数量正日渐减少。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He is struggling to come to terms with his dwindling authority. 他正努力适应自己权力被削弱这一局面。 来自辞典例句

3 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

4 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

6 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

7 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

8 stringent   

adj.严厉的；令人信服的；银根紧的

参考例句：

• Financiers are calling for a relaxation of these stringent measures.金融家呼吁对这些严厉的措施予以放宽。
• Some of the conditions in the contract are too stringent.合同中有几项条件太苛刻。

9 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

10 bumper   

n.(汽车上的)保险杠；adj.特大的，丰盛的

参考例句：

• The painting represents the scene of a bumper harvest.这幅画描绘了丰收的景象。
• This year we have a bumper harvest in grain.今年我们谷物丰收。

11 postpone   

v.延期，推迟

参考例句：

• I shall postpone making a decision till I learn full particulars.在未获悉详情之前我得从缓作出决定。
• She decided to postpone the converastion for that evening.她决定当天晚上把谈话搁一搁。

12 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

14 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

15 venue   

n.犯罪地点，审判地，管辖地，发生地点，集合地点

参考例句：

• The hall provided a venue for weddings and other functions.大厅给婚礼和其他社会活动提供了场所。
• The chosen venue caused great controversy among the people.人们就审判地点的问题产生了极大的争议。