Kosovo Wins Acceptance To IMF

科索沃称，国际货币基金组织(IMF)已投票决定接纳它为成员。科索沃曾为塞尔维亚的一个省，成为IMF成员是它在不懈寻求世界普遍接受其为独立国家方面迈出的重要一步。科索沃副外长奇塔库(Vlora Qitaku)周二说，IMF一半以上的成员国参加了是否接纳科索沃为新成员的投票，因此投票有效，其中赞成票折合的投票权已超过IMF总投票权的一半。IMF的官员周二拒绝对此事发表评论，因为投票结果尚未对外公布。科索沃的政府官员说，由于IMF是一个国际机构，因此加入该组织是科索沃在被国际社会接纳的漫漫路途上迈出的重要一步。有大约200万人口的科索沃于2008年2月单方面宣布从塞尔维亚独立。科索沃政府的一位发言人说，预计科索沃会在世界银行(World Bank)成员国投票表决后于6月初加入世行。与联合国世界贸易组织(WTO)等国际机构接纳新成员的规定不同，IMF规定，只要其总投票权中有一半以上的权重表示支持，就可接纳一个国家为IMF新成员。这意味着，虽然塞尔维亚和俄罗斯等国不承认科索沃独立，但科索沃仍能加入IMF。在联合国192个成员国中，迄今已有58个国家承认科索沃独立。其他一些想获得独立国家地位的政治实体在加入只接纳主权国家为成员的国际组织方面则困难重重。1980年随着中国加入IMF，台湾丧失了在该机构的成员资格。自那以来台湾也并未申请重返IMF。与科索沃不同，台湾没有被美国和大多数其他大国承认为完全独立的国家，因此它即使申请重返IMF也未必能成功。科索沃政府表示，加入IMF不仅能使科索沃获得更多宝贵的经济援助，也能让一些潜在投资者安心前来投资。科索沃政府计划今年对一个发电站项目为科索沃首府普里什蒂纳服务的一个机场以及科索沃的邮政和电信公司PTK实施私有化，它希望能吸引到外国投资者。IMF已经与科索沃有了相互往来。在科索沃去年宣布独立后，它向科索沃央行提供了一名顾问。科索沃央行的首席经济学家托茨(Valentin Toci)说，甚至在这之前，IMF已经帮助科索沃建立了自己的银行体系，以确保该体系能符合IMF在稳定性监管和打击金融犯罪等方面的标准。科索沃加入欧盟的前景还不确定，因为这需要欧盟现有成员国的一致同意。希腊塞浦路斯西班牙罗马尼亚和斯洛伐克这五个欧盟成员国还不承认科索沃。但对科索沃政府来说，获得IMF的成员国资格为科索沃获得国际社会普遍承认的努力提供了重要动力。Nick Andrews / Bob Davis


Kosovo said the International Monetary Fund voted to accept it as a member, in an important step for the former Serbian province's continuing efforts to secure global recognition as an independent state.Kosovo's deputy foreign minister, Vlora Qitaku, said Tuesday that ballots cast by more than half the IMF's member countries, as required, had produced a majority. IMF officials declined to comment Tuesday, because the results hadn't yet been made public.Because the IMF is an international club, joining is an important step on a long, arduous road to acceptance as a member of the international community, say government officials in Kosovo. The fledgling Balkan nation of some two million unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in February 2008.A spokesman for Kosovo's government said it expects to join the World Bank in early June, after a similar vote.Unlike the United Nations, the World Trade Organization and some other international groups, the IMF's weighted-majority voting rules allowed Kosovo to join over objections from Serbia, Russia and other countries that don't recognize Kosovo's independence. So far, 58 of the U.N.'s 192 member states have recognized Kosovo's independence.Other would-be nations have found the going tough as they sought membership in international bodies. Taiwan was booted out of the IMF in 1980 when China was admitted, and it hasn't applied to return since. Unlike Kosovo, Taiwan isn't recognized by the U.S. and most other major nations as a fully independent state, and an IMF application would be unlikely to succeed.Joining the IMF could give Kosovo important access to additional economic aid as well as some reassurance for potential investors, the Kosovar government says. The government plans three major privatizations this year -- a power-station project; the airport serving Pristina, the capital; and postal and telecoms company PTK -- and it hopes to attract foreign investors.The IMF already has a footprint in Kosovo. It provided an adviser to Kosovo's central bank after the country's independence declaration last year. Even before that, the fund helped set up the province's banking system to ensure it met IMF criteria for providing stability, regulation and combating financial crime, said Valentin Toci, chief economist at the Central Bank of Kosovo.Kosovo's future prospects for joining the European Union are uncertain, as that requires unanimity. Five of the EU's member states -- Greece, Cyprus, Spain, Romania and Slovakia -- don't recognize Kosovo. But for Kosovo's government, IMF membership is important to keep the momentum in its bid for recognition.Nick Andrews / Bob Davis