U.S.'s Rubin: LatAm Countries Have Done
A "Great Deal"
Dow Jones Newswires
WASHINGTON -- Latin America has made "great progress" on its
structural reforms, U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin said Thursday.
The region is "profoundly important" to the U.S. economy, he added.
"We have felt from the very beginning with the problems in Mexico in
1995 that what happens in Latin America is profoundly important to the
U.S. For that reason, we have been very supportive of the programs and
activities in Latin America. We continue to feel that way," Rubin told
reporters before entering a meeting between International Monetary Fund
officials and economic policy makers from nine Latin American countries.
Those meetings, which began Thursday, are slated to run through Friday.
When asked about the possibility of a U.S. or IMF-led contingency
package for Latin America, Rubin said "I don't think that's the issue here. I
think the issue here is that we have a host of countries in Latin America
that have been very forward looking in terms of economic policy and
reforms and have accomplished a great deal. I think the key is that these
countries continue to focus on their issues, and we in the U.S. need to
continue focusing on maintaining solid growth here."
Rubin said the meeting is "just one more piece of what has been an
ongoing process of our countries working together."
Rubin said he will discuss with Japan's Finance Minister Kiichi Miyazawa
the U.S. economy and measures that the Japanese government is taking to
"get back on track with domestic, demand-led growth, which is important
not only for Japan but for the rest of the world."
"Japan is key, in my judgment, and is central to economic well-being in the
world," he said.
Rubin is to meet with the Japanese finance minister Friday in San
Francisco. |
