IMF clears debt relief for 19 poor nations

The International Monetary Fund approved $3.3 billion (Ђ2.8 billion) in debt relief for 19 of the world's poorest countries Wednesday and predicted that Mauritania would qualify for the relief in a matter of weeks.

The decision by the IMF's executive board followed a campaign by debt relief advocates worried that the approval of six countries might be delayed because the &to=http://english.pravda.ru/economics/2002/06/19/30629.html' target=_blank>IMF would rule they had not met IMF qualifications.