KYIV, Jan. 31 – A mission from the International Monetary Fund arrived Wednesday in the Ukrainian capital to assess this former Soviet republic’s economic progress in 2001, the IMF’s office in Kyiv said. According to government statistics, Ukraine’s economy grew 8.5 percent in 2001, far beyond preliminary expectations of 6.2 percent.
The IMF halted its dlrs 2.6 billion lending program to Ukraine in 1999 due to weak governance and stalled reforms, but resumed lending in late 1999 after a reform-minded government came to power. That government was ousted by parliament last April. The present government has pledged to continue reforms. The government hopes to receive dlrs 550 million from the IMF in three installments in 2002, according to the Interfax news agency.
