WASHINGTON, April 22 (UPI) -- The oil row with the World Bank and the government of Chad is nearing resolution, according to a Chadian senior official on Saturday.
On-going negotiations to resolve the January suspension of oil revenues to the Chad government may conclude by the end of the Spring International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings being held over the weekend, Chad Ambassador to the United States Mahamoud Adam Bechir told United Press International in a telephone interview Saturday.
"They all want it to be over," said Bechir. "The disconnection that happened is over."
Bechir explained that talks between the Chad Finance Minister Mahmat Tolli and World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz have been "positive and constructive" with an "understanding of the concerns of all the parties."
The Chad government has agreed to conditions by the World Bank as part of the deal, but declined to say what assurances had been given to the World Bank.
"There are no blocking points," said Bechir, of the current state of talks. "There is an urgent need to immediately lift (the suspension)."
Bechir said the United States was instrumental in striking a deal, but hastened to add did not play the role of "mediator" in the negotiations.
The oil dispute between the Chad government and the World Bank ensued when the government amended its national law in December to include security as one of the priority sectors. The conditions of the deal proposed by the Bank would be that all oil revenues would be used for poverty reduction in areas like health, education and rural development.
At the time of the decision to suspend loans to the Chad government, the Bank said the government had reneged on its deal by using oil revenues to fight an insurgency in the Sudan.
