Algeria

Debt The IMF and other Western donors have provided loans and aid packages, conditional on liberalising economic reforms and the sale of state owned industrial assets. The MEDA programme is mainly made up of grants, but also includes the financing of risk capital and interest rate subsidies related to loans granted by the European Investment Bank (EIB). The volume of the loans granted for Algeria for the period 1995 – 2002 totals 1.113m euros World Markets Research Centre reported that Algeria’s debt stood at $17.8 billion at the end of September 2005, down from $21.4 billion in December Loans/Grants

Projects (financed under MEDA) Economic and trade co-operation -The development of SME’s (57m Euros) -Industrial reorganisation and privatisation (38m Euros) -Modernisation of the financial sector (23.25m Euros) Social and human development -The updating of the vocational training system (60m Euros) -Local socio-economic development in north-eastern Algeria (50m Euros) Others… -The reform of telecommunications and postal services, and to the development of the information society (17m Euros) -The modernisation of the police (8.2m Euros) -The journalists and the media (5m Euros) - Industrial pollution control (EIB interest rate subsidy) (10.75m euros)

COLOMBIA

LOANS/GRANTS/DEBTS The United States already provides substantial aid to Colombia to help with counter-narcotics operations. It has sent more than $3 billion to Colombia since the year 2000, mostly in military aid and training, despite continuing questions about the human rights practices of the country’s armed forces. President Bush’s administration is considering expanding the aid package to provide direct help for the Colombian Governments campaign against rebel groups. Its already committed to an aid package worth $1.3 billion. President Bush has pledged more funding to support Colombia’s fight against drugs and violence.

Projects Much of the aid provided goes to fumigating fields of Coca and Opium, but the president Alvaro Uribe is also able to the funds for his continuing battle against Marxist Guerrillas. U.S Government figures show that Colombia now produces about 90% of the cocaine and about 50% of heroin consumed in the U.S.A.