IMF says pushing hard for extension of G20 debt relief initiative

The International Monetary Fund is pushing hard for the Group of 20 major economies to extend an initiative postponing official bilateral debt service payments by the world’s poorest countries beyond year-end, IMF spokesman Gerry Rice said on Thursday.

Rice told a regular briefing that the Fund was also calling for private sector lenders to participate in the debt relief initiative, which was agreed by G20 leaders in April.