A relevant quote from the article below (1) with regard to Michel Camdessus; as he is retiring as head of the International Money Fund (IMF) includes: "He [Michel Camdessus] said the move has nothing to do with charges that Russia siphoned off billions of dollars of IMF aid, ``allegations that are totally unsubstantiated." (1)

Another denial has Samuel Berger addressing the Bilderberg Society with: "I have argued that these Congressional actions do not result from simple differences over policy, or from partisanship. They reflect the coherent philosophy of a dominant minority -- which sees international spending as inherently disconnected to America's interests, views most multilateral enterprises with suspicion and considers most difficult international endeavors -- from supporting democracy in Russia to peace in the Balkans to growth in poor countries -- as likely to fail and therefore not worth trying." (THE WHITE HOUSE; Office of the Press Secretary; Hartford, Connecticut; November 4, 1999; SAMUEL R. BERGER; NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR; REMARKS TO THE BILDERBERG STEERING COMMITTEE; Strengthening the Bipartisan Center: An Internationalist Agenda for America).

As a member of the "dominant minority", I suppose, I have found three examples (a-c) of "allegations that are totally unsubstantiated"; if I may be permitted to quote Camdessmus again. Further, my comments and excerpts below are not intended as a desire for the IMF "to fail" nor do I feel that the IMF is "not worth trying". I am opposed, however, to the secrecy of the Bilderberg Society - its lack of accountability with regard to the allegations listed below; its lack of desire to discuss and resolve these allegations openly:

'There were TWO seperate money laundering operations coming out Russia. One was reported by the New York Times possibility linked to the IMF and the other was definately linked to the IMF via Stanley Fisher. I reported the second as a Bilderberg link. The cumulative amounts laundered from both operations may reach $15 billion instead of $10 billion. Thus, media neglect in reporting Bilderberg policies may lead to an underestimation of the amount of money laundered':

(a) "The West was about to find out just how much money had been stolen by Russian oligarchs under the reform regime. The revelation in the New York Times of the Bank of New York's role in money laundering in Russia was just the tip of the iceberg. The vast amounts of diverted money were now going to come to light. With that revelation, any hope of further investment, loans or aid to Russia had gone out the window. Paradoxically, the same people that the West liked to deal with, the reformers, were precisely the ones who would be shown to have been most deeply involved in the theft of the century. The justification for their presence - that men like Chernomyrdin were known and trusted by the West - was about to be turned on its head. The reformers were the last ones to be trusted by anyone." STRATFOR.COM; Global Intelligence Update; Weekly GIU August 23, 1999; Putin: Yeltsin's Madness or Silent Coup?. Note: "A few years ago she [Natasha Gurfinkel Kagalovsky - one of two suspects suspects in the money laundering operation] married Konstantin Kagalovsky, who has been an economic adviser to the Russian Government and from 1992 to 1995 was Russia's representative to the International Monetary Fund." August 19, 1999; Activity at Bank Raises Suspicions of Russian Mob Tie; By RAYMOND BONNER with TIMOTHY L. O'BRIEN; N.Y. Times."

(b) from my article:

http://x23.deja.com/=yahoo/getdoc.xp?AN=506981898&CONTEXT=935410647.1216217150&h itnum=62

"Relevant quotes in the article (a) below: "In an unusual development, money from the loan will never actually reach Russia, but will be paid directly to an account at the IMF and be used to service Russian debt, IMF officials said when they discussed the credit earlier this year." and ..."IMF cash would probably have been delayed in 1996, the year when President Boris Yeltsin won re-election, if the IMF had known more about the activities of central bank offshoot Fimaco, based in Britain's tax haven of the Channel Islands. ``Directors expressed strong disapproval of the finding that the channeling by the central bank of domestic transactions through Fimaco ... meant that the balance sheet of the central bank had given a misleading impression of the true state of reserves,'' [Bilderberg] [Stanley] Fischer said, using uncharacteristically strong language for the IMF."

(c) "For the time being, the alleged bribe is less important than the fact that Yeltsin has been unambiguously linked to the scandal. Already most of the group of close Yeltsin advisors, senior administration members and supporters collectively known as the "Family" are under investigation for alleged involvement in one or more of the major scandals now facing the Kremlin [ http://www.stratfor.com/SERVICES/GIU/090299.ASP ]. These include allegedly laundering billions of dollars - some possibly from IMF loans - through New York banks, using IMF funds for international currency market speculations, skimming profits from the state airline Aeroflot, and accepting bribes from Mabetex."

Two possible successors to Camdessmus are members of the Bilderberg Society - [Bilderberg - my comment - http://www.tlio.demon.co.uk/1998.htm ] Andrew Crockett [Britain, head of the Bank of International Settlements in Switzerland] and the current head of the Bank of France, [Bilderberg - my comment - http://www.the-news.net/bildeberg/index.htm and http://www.tlio.demon.co.uk/cocktail.htm#List ] Jean-Claude Trichet.

So, unless these allegations are resolved and the secret agenda of the Bilderberg Club revealed, I will oppose the selection of a Bilderberg Society member as a successor to IMF's Michel Camdessmus.

(1) Head of IMF Announces Resignation Filed at 7:29 p.m. EST By The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) --

Michel Camdessus, who led the International Monetary Fund through recent financial turmoil in Asia, Russia and Latin America, said Tuesday he will retire by mid-February to bring new blood into the lending organization.

European and U.S. officials already are discussing possible successors to the 66-year-old Frenchman. The longest-serving IMF managing director, Camdessus is in the middle of a third five-year term running the 182-nation organization.

A European traditionally heads the IMF, an American its sister institution the World Bank.

``Personal reasons ... lead me to this decision,'' Camdessus told 1,800 IMF staff members gathered on the marble floor of the grand atrium at the headquarters building three blocks from the White House.

He said to serve 15 years ``would be inappropriate in a world in permanent need of renewal of its institutions. The IMF board was generous in leaving to my judgment the choice of the right moment to pass the baton. This is, I think, the right time.''

Camdessus' term is to expire in 2002. At a news conference, he would not elaborate on reasons for his premature departure except that he wants to enjoy life in the French countryside.

He said the move has nothing to do with charges that Russia siphoned off billions of dollars of IMF aid, ``allegations that are totally unsubstantiated.'' He also said his health is good.

Camdessus was a lighting rod for criticism of the organization that provided multibillion-dollar bailouts in Asia, Russia and Latin America starting in mid-1997. Conservatives said the rescue packages wasted taxpayer money, and liberals said belt-tightening austerity measures that accompanied them hit the poor hardest.

Despite the fact that more than $100 billion in emergency resources were put together, the financial crises ended up pushing 40 percent of the global economy into recession before calm finally was restored to world financial markets.

The strain of dealing with crises in a punishing travel schedule over more a decade, while fending off congressional and other critics and carrying out an extensive overhaul of the IMF, has taken a toll on Camdessus, friends and colleagues say.

President Clinton and Treasury Secretary [Bilderberg - my comment] Lawrence Summers praised Camdessus' strong leadership in confronting financial crises. British Chancellor Gordon Brown said Camdessus demonstrated ``vigor, commitment and great vision.''

Clinton said in a statement that Camdessus ``helped contain the fallout from the East Asian economic crisis, improve the global financial architecture, increase the transparency of the IMF itself and create greater focus on debt relief'' for poor nations.

At Treasury, [Bilderberg - my comment] Summers said even before the Asian turmoil, Camdessus ``steered the IMF through challenges from the 1980s' (Latin American) debt crisis to the transformation of former communist economies.'' He ``steadfastly protected the interests of (IMF) members and the international monetary and financial system,'' [Bilderberg - my comment] Summers said.

Camdessus, who took office in January 1987, said by staying until February, it will allow the IMF time to elect a replacement.

He urged governments involved in the process to avoid repeating the recent bruising diplomatic battles that have characterized appointments to organizations. In finding leaders for such institutions as the Organization of Economic Cooperation and the World Trade Organization, national pride has taken precedence over various candidates' qualifications.

For 31 of the past 36 years, the IMF has been run by Frenchmen. Pierre-Paul Schweitzer was the IMF chief between 1963 and 1973, and Camdessus' predecessor, Jacques de Larosiere, led the fund between 1978 and 1987.

That tradition may change. Among names mentioned as possible successors are [Bilderberg - my comment - http://www.tlio.demon.co.uk/1998.htm ] Andrew Crockett [ Britain, head of the Bank of International Settlements in Switzerland; Mervyn King, deputy governor of the Bank of England; German Deputy Finance Minister Caio Koch-Weser; and the current head of the Bank of France, [Bilderberg - my comment - http://www.the-news.net/bildeberg/index.htm and http://www.tlio.demon.co.uk/cocktail.htm#List ] Jean-Claude Trichet